Where The Green Grass Grows
by flyingorfalling
Summary: A few years after defeating Thanos, married man Tony Stark has his hands full with a fidgety toddler at home and trying to maintain the farm he built his wife, Pepper. One of the best things about living on a farm is the available land for roaming and exploring; his daughter Morgan likes to do it every day. This is her story. [Collection of AU one shots.]
1. Tony's Birthday

_**A/N:** I totally forgot to publish this on here, __so here you go... This was supposed to be a drabble for Tony's birthday, but it became 3k words of tooth-rotting fluff and now it's a series. It's un beta'd, so sorry for any mistakes. I'll post the next chapter soon. Hope you enjoy this nonsense.  
_

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"Mommy, do you think daddy will like the cake?"

Sitting on the kitchen counter, the four-year-old looked up at her with those big brown eyes she shared with her father, and Pepper kissed her temple and then scooped her up and gave her a squeeze. The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and rested her curly-topped head against Pepper's shoulder. Pepper settled her daughter on her hip.

"Daddy's not gonna like it, he'll __love__ it," she answered Morgan's question, as she grabbed the plate with the cake. "Do you want to carry it?" Morgan shook her head. "Okay, then I'll carry it upstairs and you can take it before we wake him. How does that sound?" Now she nodded and Pepper had to laugh softly at her daughter's reaction. "Perfect. Let's go."

Upstairs, still in the hallway, Pepper put Morgan down, handing her the cake and she took it with a huge smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. It was absolutely adorable. Pepper was so smitten with her, she bent down to kiss her on the top of the head several times. Her beautiful curls, also inherited from Tony—only a few people knew about the nature of his hair when it was long—oh so fluffy. Her freckles, the only thing the child had gotten from her mother—though Tony often argued that Morgan had more of her than Pepper thought—sprinkled her skin like gold dust.

"Wait, honey," Pepper stopped her before she could open the door to the bedroom. "We need candles."

"No candles," Morgan protested.

"You don't want candles? Why do you not want candles? Don't you think daddy would love—"

"He is too old for candles."

Pepper had to stifle a laugh. "You know, I think you can never be too old for candles, but it's your cake, so it's your decision."

Morgan frowned. "I want three candles."

Pepper grinned. That girl blew hot and cold just like her father. "Why three?"

"One for you and one for me and... one for DUM-E," she explained, "Because we all love daddy."

"That is absolutely right," Pepper said, smiling. "You're a smart girl."

"But I want the biggest candle, because I love daddy the most."

"Oh, you do?" Morgan nodded yes. "Well, then I better get the world's biggest candle, hey?" Her daughter giggled excitedly and waited until her mother got back. "Now we're good to go," Pepper said after she had put the candles on the cake and lit them. "Do you want to sing?" Again, the child nodded her head, and so they entered the bedroom with 'Happy Birthday' on their lips.

Tony slowly awakened and opened his eyes to see his child stand by his bedside, singing her heart out to him. She held in her hands a tiny cake with three candles in the middle of the chocolate. Behind Morgan stood Pepper, singing along in perfect harmony with their daughter, while her hands rested gently on Morgan's shoulders. Both his girls seemed to glow in the morning sunlight and they sang sweeter than the birds outside. His lips curled into a smile, coming from someplace inside him that instinctively tapped into the joyful things around him.

"To youuuuuu," Morgan finished as loudly as she could, and Tony's smile grew even wider.

"I think we got ourselves a little star here," he commented, as he sat up in bed and looked at Pepper. "You know Beyoncé got nothin' on you, princess." He patted his daughter's head, still smiling.

"Happy birthday, daddy. Look what I made." Morgan held the plate out to him and Tony took it from her, as he inspected it thoroughly.

"You did this? By yourself?" Morgan nodded, and Tony looked up at his wife, who was smirking at him, trying not to laugh. "Wow!" He put the cake on the bedside table and, in a swift move, picked his daughter up from the ground to draw her into the circle of his arms. Tony held her tightly for a moment and Morgan snuggled in, taking the comfort he offered before he leaned back to look at her. "Do you know how much I love you?" He smothered her face with kisses and she laughed with her entire body, as Tony's facial hair tickled her skin.

Then she pulled back and held her arms out wide. "This much."

"Ten times more than that much," Tony said, dropping another soft kiss on her cheek.

Morgan chuckled. "And how much do you love mommy?" Rubbing his daughter's back, Tony looked at Pepper, and he stared so intensely, their child became impatient. "How much?" She hit him gently with her small hand and Tony turned back to her and grinned.

"Beyond measure," he said. "And you want to know why?" Morgan nodded. "Because your momma gave me you... and you are the most __precious__ thing in the world." Tony ruffled his daughter's hair, then tickled her just to hear that adorable laugh one more time.

As Morgan shook with laughter, crying out to him that he should stop, Pepper came to sit by his bedside and Tony immediately pulled her into a hug, feathering kisses from her soft temple to the corner of her mouth. She leaned in so he could kiss her sweet lips, too, and it took almost a minute before they parted. Both of them smiling, Pepper touched his face, her thumb grazing his skin. He closed his eyes and sighed softly. What a beautiful life he was blessed to live! He raised his dark lashes until he could see the shimmer of her rich blue eyes.

"Happy birthday, dear heart," she whispered to him, kissing his lips. "I'm so happy you were born."

"Can we eat cake now?" Morgan's feisty voice cut through the sweet atmosphere like a sharp knife, and both of them laughed.

"You know what we should do first?" Tony said. "We should go to the stables. I believe someone had a baby last night."

"Wait... You mean... Aspen gave birth? How do you know?" Pepper looked at him surprised.

"Well, I... may have snuck out and watched." Tony shrugged shamefacedly.

"Tony!" She gave him a deprecating stare. "I told you she could handle it. Animals give birth all the time without anyone looking out for them. You really didn't have to worry." Pepper wasn't angry with him, though. She knew he couldn't help himself.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just... wanted to make sure nothing bad happens."

"And did anything bad happen?"

"Nah," he shook his head, "I mean, I was freaking out at one point, to be honest... you know when the baby got kinda... stuck... but she rocked that thing like a pro." Tony grinned. "Just like you when you pushed __that__ one out," he added, pointing to their daughter and Pepper chuckled.

"Not too bad for a first time, huh?" she replied, running a hand through her daughter's hair.

Morgan listened closely to her parents' conversation, trying to make sense of it. Frowning, she thought harder until she finally understood. Her face immediately lit up with a smile and she quickly scrambled out of bed and ran for the door. Tony and Pepper looked at each other, confused for a moment, then Tony laughed out loud and Pepper joined in. They laughed heartily at the lively and excited child that was their daughter, clearly a whirlwind of undirected energy just like her father; full of life and joy.

"We should probably go after her," Tony said, smirking.

Pepper smirked back at him. "You should get dressed first, because last time I checked, you were fully naked." She licked her lips, as she remembered last night. The look Tony gave her then, told her that what she had been thinking had shown on her face.

"You wanna...?" Kissing her neck, and sucking lightly on her skin, he maneuvered his hand underneath her shirt and toward her chest, welcoming the fact that Pepper hadn't gotten properly dressed that morning and was still missing a bra.

Her entire body became flushed as his warm palm covered her breast and she closed her eyes, releasing a soft moan. God, she really wanted to, but now just wasn't the time. So she pulled his hand gently away, ignoring his little protest. "I don't wanna... I mean I do, but... You know we can't right now."

He sighed. "I love her to death, but sometimes I seriously wish that kid had a pause button."

"Now you know how I felt with you all those years," Pepper grinned, giving him another kiss before she got up from the bed. She grabbed the cake and looked at him. "You should at least put on some pants."

"Hey, we could totally do it in the haystacks while Morgan— That was fun, right? You remember?"

She laughed. "Yeah, it was so much fun getting poked all the time... and being badly bitten by mosquitoes at the most odd places."

Tony giggled with his eyes squinted in snickering, as if her words were the funniest thing anyone had ever said to him. "Oh, you loved it!" He rose from bed and pushed his body against her. "Admit it, Pepper. You loved being naughty like that. You. Loved. It." He accentuated every word until he saw a wicked smirk creep across her face. "I knew it," Tony prided himself.

Pepper shook her head amused. He was such a child! "Get dressed," she said before exiting the room.

She went downstairs, into the living room and through the double doors out onto the wooden patio. The air was filled with rich, thick smells as she passed the grazing cattle, the horses and alpacas. The smell of the huge sunflower fields was the sweetest on the farm. Her daughter loved running through the flower lined golden pathways, picking the prettiest flowers as a gift for Tony. When they were in bloom, the smell of the fields was almost overwhelming.

After he had retired from being Iron Man, Tony had built this place from scratch. He hadn't told her a single thing, so when he finally introduced her to their new home, the surprise had moved Pepper to tears. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, he was still in the superhero business, kind of, but life had changed drastically ever since he had quit the Avengers. Tony wasn't out there anymore, putting his life in danger, and she didn't have to worry anymore that he wouldn't be there to see their daughter grow up. There were days when he worked from home just so he could spend all day with his beloved child.

"Morgan, honey, are you in here?" Pepper called for her daughter inside the big donkey shed.

"Mommy, mommy," Morgan came running to her. "A baby!"

"You saw the baby?" The child put her hand into her mother's as they started to walk. Pepper smiled, as she saw the excitement on her kid's face. "How is it doing? Is it okay?"

"Look, mama... Look!" Her daughter dragged her along, trembling with excitement in a way it almost left her breathless. "It's so cute!" she squealed. "Look!"

Still carrying the cake in one hand, Pepper put it down and let go of the little one's hand, as she squatted down, settling Morgan on one knee. She kissed the little head ever so tenderly, as her hand ran over her daughter's back. The girl was all smiles when she locked eyes with her mother, completely in love with the baby donkey in front of them.

Pepper laughed softly and cradled her gently, but Morgan pushed so hard into the hug that Pepper lost her footing, falling right flat on her back. She tried to break Morgan's fall to keep her from getting hurt, as her daughter landed on top of her. The girl laughed. It started out as a small giggle and quickly turned into a hearty laugh, which filled the vast space. Relieved that Morgan wasn't in any pain, Pepper laughed, too.

"You're having fun without me? On my birthday?" Tony raised his voice. He stood right next to them with a huge grin on his face. "So, how are we on the baby front?" He picked his daughter up, making her stand on her own feet again, and brushed the dust off her clothes.

"It's so cute, daddy!" Tony adored when she spoke with a lisp.

"I don't think anything can ever be as cute as you," he murmured, as he looked at her like she was the golden sun in his blue sky.

"Hey, you're not helping __me__ up?" Pepper protested playfully.

"Sorry, honey... You're just not my number one girl anymore."

Morgan giggled, then took her father by the hand and pulled him with her, as she got closer to where the baby donkey was resting. "Shh... Quiet... Don't scare it, daddy!"

Tony smiled at the sheer cuteness that was his child. "Would you like to name it, sweet cheeks?" he asked her.

"No, I do not want to name it 'sweet cheeks'." She shook her head.

Pepper laughed, and Tony turned around to her, his look conveying something along the line of 'God, I could eat this sweet, adorable child we created' and then turned back to Morgan, smiling at her. "That's not what I meant. I was wondering, if you want to pick a name for the newest addition to our family."

"Can I?" Her eyes widened, as she looked at her mother.

"Don't look at her like she makes all the decisions," Tony joked.

"You can, sweetie," Pepper said. "Whatever you want is fine."

"It's a boy, by the way. I checked."

Morgan looked back at Tony. "I like Rhodey," she said firmly, as though she had already decided, and both her parents tried hard not to laugh.

"You mean, like your uncle?" Tony asked and she nodded. "I'm sure he'd be honored to share his name with a donkey as cute as this one."

"Pedey," she let out.

"Pedey?" Tony frowned. "Why Pedey?"

"Because I don't want Peter to be sad when he comes to visit us," the little girl explained with a stern face. She was serious about this name-picking thing. "I like him sooo much."

"But if you name the donkey Peter, then Rhodey might be sad, so Pedey is... both their names... in one?" Tony guessed.

"Can we name him Pedey?"

Pepper stroked her head, dropping down into a squatting position to look her daughter straight in the eyes. "It's a very beautiful name, Morgan. And you know, your uncle Rhodey and your brother Peter will both be so happy when they hear about it." She smiled lovingly at her child, as she held on to Tony's legs for balance.

Tony squatted down next to her, his hand sliding around to the middle of Pepper's back, pulling her close. "Your mother is right. They will be over the moon when they come to my birthday party tonight."

"We're having a party? I didn't know that." Pepper arched her eyebrow at him.

"You do __now__ , honey," he said. "We have something to celebrate, so we will make plans. And by 'we' I mean 'you'... because there's a reason I leave all the organizing to you." He could feel a smug grin forming on his lips and tried to cover it. "And you're the master of acting fast, so how about I send out the invitations and you just get started with... the planning." He sat down, watching his daughter play with the donkey. "And don't worry, Pepper, I'll watch the kid while you're busy."

"Tell me again, Tony Stark... Why on Earth did I marry you?"

"Because nobody would take me and you've always been a saint." Grinning broadly, Tony pulled her close again. "And you've always been in love with me, Pepper Potts, there's no denying it, so agreeing to marry me was kinda... beyond your control."

She laughed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I hate you." Her words were muffled, but he heard them anyway and he let the grin touch his ears.

"I hate you, too," he said, waving his arms around to get his daughter's attention. "Here, baby... Please... I can't compete with a donkey, but I'm really craving some cake right now. Can you get it? Your mom's busy latching onto me... which is totally fine, it just keeps me from... moving." Morgan put the plate with the cake right in front of him. Tony smiled. "You're such a good kid."

"You can't blow out the candles," she stated, looking at it, and the expression on her face changed. She was tearing up. "What about your wish? Can you make a wish without candles?" she almost cried.

"Oh, they're out," Pepper noticed. "That must've been the wind." She pulled back a little, one arm around Tony, and cupped her daughter's cheek. "I'm really sorry, baby. Don't be sad!"

"Come here, sugar bug," Tony said softly, as he extended one arm, his eyes beckoning her to come into his embrace. Morgan jumped into his arms, snuggling against him, and closed her eyes. "You know, right now I've got my arms around my two favorite people in the world," Tony whispered. "And I'm here on the farm I built, with a lot of cute animals, a baby donkey named Pedey, and a chocolate cake that my very sweet and truly amazing daughter made for me—"

"But you can't blow out the candles and make a wish!" Morgan's voice was a mix between sadness, anger and disappointment.

"Listen to me, pumpkin." He kept running soothing circles on her back with his hand. "Like I said... I have all these things... and my beautiful girls... There really isn't anything else I could wish for. I'm so insanely and foolishly happy right now... because of you and your mother... Every single one of my wishes came true. And you know what else?" Tony pulled back and Morgan looked up to him. "I got even more than I wished for."

"You did?" she sniffed.

"I totally did!" Tony gently wiped a tear from her face with his thumb.

"Then you don't need candles," Morgan said, rubbing her eyes.

"Your cake is perfect just the way it is, my sweet, sweet girl." Tony gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head. "No more tears now, okay? Because I don't like it when you cry. It hurts me. And I don't want my baby to be in any pain... especially not today when it's my birthday."

"I'm sorry." Morgan snuggled back into him.

"Don't be sorry," he said, sighing. "We all get a little sad sometimes. But you know one thing that always puts me in a good mood?" Pausing, he waited for Morgan to look at him. "Chocolate!" Tony ruffled her curls and she giggled, trying to fight him off. "I can't wait to eat all the cake. You want to help me?"

"Yes," she answered, excited again. Then her mood swung back round. "Do we have to leave Pedey?" Her voice couldn't hide the sadness.

"No, we don't," Tony assured her. "We don't have any forks or spoons, but I think mama will let us use our hands just this once."

He turned to the side, giving Pepper a pleading look, and the woman in question quickly noticed that her daughter's eyes held the exact same expression as Tony's. She laughed at that realization.

"Go ahead and make a mess, you two knuckleheads," she said, "I'm not stopping you."

Morgan squealed, as she grabbed the cake with both her hands and sunk her teeth right into it. Once she had put it down, Tony did the same thing. Both their faces were covered in chocolate. Laughing, they assisted each other to clean up the mess. Morgan splayed her fingers across Tony's face, getting all the chocolate she could, then licked it off each finger with relish. Tony used his mouth, smothering her face with kisses, and she laughed, falling back into the hay. He leaned right over her, tickling her, kissing her, telling her how adorable she looked with that chocolate face.

Pepper watched her husband play with their daughter with tear-filled eyes. She had to smile at the fact that for someone who didn't even want any candles on the cake at first, Morgan had been pretty upset. But this only reminded Pepper of how much she loved Morgan's varying moods. That little girl was such a blessing to her and Tony's life, her heart seemed far too small to hold all the love she felt for her daughter. Becoming a mother had taught her the true meaning of love. She hadn't told Tony, not yet, but their second child was on the way, and Pepper couldn't wait for it to be born and meet her beautiful family.


	2. Morgan's Gift

_**A/N:**_ _This chapter is a continuation of Tony's birthday to show Morgan's interactions with other people. Peter makes an apperance in the next part :)  
_

* * *

Of course, Pepper had managed to pull it off. She had gotten a caterer last minute and a team to set up the large wooden barn where she and Tony and had held the wedding reception a few years ago. The barn was a fairly intimate space with room for around a hundred people. There was a dance floor, and several rows of folding chairs facing the stage. Christmas lights strung from the rafters and illuminated the items that decorated the walls—wedding photographs, drawings of Iron Man from all the kids Tony inspired and pictures of Morgan. Everything that was or had been an important part of Tony's life was up on those walls.

Tony also wanted the team to blow up balloons. He wanted streamers and banners and red-gold confetti, matching Iron Man plates and cups and napkins, and of course Pepper made sure he got all that, because she didn't want him to get grumpy. Because when Tony was grumpy, then his daughter usually was too, as if they were somehow connected. It was something she certainly adored about Morgan—that she was such a daddy's girl—but it cut both ways. Sometimes, watching her daughter copy Tony's moods could be exhausting.

The big sliding barn door was cut in half and made into two panels on each side of an entrance porch. Inside, the sun rays sifted through cracks in the boarded sides of the barn and played along the walls. It was a beautiful setting, and Pepper couldn't help but grin upon realizing that the decoration looked a lot like they were having a children's party. It was so Tony, everything about it, but especially the Iron Man theme. She knew he would love it—just as much as their daughter probably—and if her man was happy then she was, too. He deserved to have a silly birthday bash.

"I think you did an amazing job with this, Pepper." She knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

"Thanks, Rhodey," she said, as she welcomed him with a hug.

"So where is my favorite niece?" he asked.

"You mean, your only niece?" she replied with a smirk.

"Still my favorite." Rhodey smirked back at her.

"She's getting ready for the party," Pepper told him, as they walked to the house. "She said she wanted to look extra pretty for daddy tonight, and I should go see how she's doing, but we'll see you later. Tony's with the alpacas."

"Bonding with family?"

She laughed. "Yeah."

Upstairs, Pepper opened the door to her daughter's room and saw her clothes scattered all over the floor. Her little girl didn't really know how to dress herself, at least had never done it by herself, but Morgan had insisted to be left alone, so Pepper had let her. Now she stood in front of the mirror with a midnight blue dress that had sort of iridescent stripes in the flouncy skirt, which flared at the bottom like a tulip. Pepper couldn't remember her daughter ever wearing that dress.

She let out a high pitched squeal of delight. "Oh my God, you look so cute!"

When Morgan turned her head, Pepper instantly felt worry gripping her heart, creating a heavy feeling in her chest. The corners of her daughter's mouth were tilted downwards, and with those puffy eyes, she looked, like she had been crying.

"What is wrong, Morgan?"

"I don't like it." The child made a sound of disapproval.

"Why not?"

"It's blue." Morgan pouted, as if she were going to cry, and took a deep sobbing breath. Pepper thought of how much she resembled her father when she pouted. "But daddy's favorite color is red."

"Oh, my baby..." Pepper sat down on the Spider-Man bedspread and opened her arms to her daughter. "Come here." Morgan crawled into her lap and Pepper held her little girl close, then leaned back to look in her eyes. "You want to know what your daddy's favorite color is?" She paused. "The color of your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yes, your eyes. And do you want to know why?" The child nodded yes. "Because when he looks into your beautiful brown eyes, your daddy can see just how much you love him and that means the world to him." Pepper kissed the crown of her daughter's head over and over, rocking her gently in her arms. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to your father and he is so happy that he gets to celebrate his birthday with you. He doesn't care what color your dress is or what you're wearing, sweetie. He just wants you to be there. Do you understand that?"

"So, he is happy even if I'm naked?" she asked, frowning.

Pepper laughed softly. "You so are your father's child," she mumbled. "Yes, baby... Even if you didn't have anything to wear to his party, your daddy would still be very happy."

Morgan pulled back and stared at her mother. "You have blue eyes," she said, as she reached out to touch Pepper's face, and Pepper closed her eyes for a minute to savor the moment.

"I do," she then said, smiling.

"Like my dress."

"Not quite like your dress, but—"

"You're so pretty, mama."

Pepper could feel the emotions rise when tears shot into her eyes and blurred her vision. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones in action, or maybe it was simply the fact that she was completely overwhelmed with happiness. Her daughter was special in every way. She had done more than showing her how deep a mother's bond to her child could be. From the moment their baby had been born, Pepper had felt a much stronger connection with Tony than ever before. Morgan's arrival had deepened their love for one another in ways never thought possible. She loved Tony more than she thought a woman could ever love a man, and motherhood was a gift he had given her that she would never take for granted.

"Thank you, baby." A tear escaped from her eye and ran slowly down her cheek.

Morgan now noticed her mother's expression. "Are you sad?" she asked, wiping the tear away, and Pepper immediately felt more tears erupting from her eyes.

That child was so sensitive to other people's feelings, to their suffering, she sensed when things were going well or poorly for someone. She sensed people's moods, shared in their joys, and commiserate with their troubles. She picked up the most subtle signals and could so easily make someone forget about their pain, Tony had said once that these human relations skills were their daughter's superpowers. And though it was meant as a joke, they both had known there was some truth to it. Morgan's high level of empathy was definitely something they were incredible proud of.

"Those are happy tears," Pepper explained to her. "You know, when daddy tickles you and won't stop, and you cry because you have to laugh so much? It's the same thing. I'm crying because I'm happy."

Morgan smiled, relief flooding her face. Then the little one threw her arms around her mother's neck, and Pepper hugged her tightly.

"I love you so much, mommy," she said, clinging to Pepper.

"I love you even more, sweetheart," Pepper replied, as tears continued to stream silently down her face.

"No," Morgan protested, "I love you more... You are the best mommy in the world."

Hearing those words fall from Morgan's lips tumbled Pepper's heart in her chest. Hardly able to wipe the huge smile off her face, she slowly stopped crying, sniffing away the last of her tears. She closed her eyes and let a few minutes pass by, sighing in the back of her throat, as she kept stroking her daughter's head. Was it selfish of her to wish that her little girl would forever stay this way? Little? Because once she was grown up, a teenager, Morgan wouldn't want to cuddle with her mother anymore and instead be driving her parents crazy—probably more so since she took so much after her father already—and Pepper just wanted to hold on to her daughter's innocence forever. She would never be ready to let go.

"Please remember that when you're a big girl, okay?" Pepper chuckled. "Now give mama a kiss." Morgan giggled and gave her mother a big whopping kiss on the lips, and Pepper responded with a hearty 'mwah' sound. "So, what are we gonna do about your dress? Do you want to try on another one?"

Morgan shook her head. "I like this dress, because it's blue... like your eyes," she said, as though she had never had a problem with that dress in the first place. She hopped off her mother's lap and looked at her like she was waiting for something.

"Do you want me to do your hair?" Pepper asked, trying to read her daughter's expression, and when she nodded, Pepper smiled.

* * *

Not all of the Avengers had made it to their farm on such short notice, but at least his closest friends were there to celebrate with him: Rhodey, Happy, Bruce, Natasha, Steve and Peter. And then there were also a few of his S.H.I.E.L.D co-workers and a bunch of people Tony didn't really know—officials from the State of New York and reporters—that he had invited to cater to the public's interest in his personal life. He gave interviews and arranged a photo op, telling the press they could take pictures of everything and everyone, except his daughter. When it came to Morgan, he and Pepper still made sure to keep her out of the public eye as much as possible. If any pictures were ever leaked to the press, they usually came from Tony himself.

"Are we done here?" The tone of his voice was polite, yet people could tell he was growing impatient.

Amid the flashing cameras, Pepper took him by the arm and guided him away from the press. "I think your daughter may be scared to set a foot in this barn, because of all the press in here. You know, she's not used to that, Tony." She sighed. "I get why you wanted them here, it's just a bit too much for our child."

"You want me to send them home?" he asked, completely serious. "I can do that, you know? It's fine."

"Just tell those _animals_ to act like normal people for at least a few hours... until she's going to bed."

"You got it, honey," he said, pecking her lips. Then he turned back to the media, "Listen up, people! You had your fun, got everything you need, and now Princess Stark is about to make an appearance, so if anyone of you doesn't know how to act civil in the presence of a four-year-old, the door's right there." He paused. "No, let me put it this way... If I see anyone trying to snap a pic without my permission, or harassing my kid, you're facing one _hell_ of a lawsuit. Don't make me regret inviting you."

The reporters and photographers escaped like ants from the hot water being poured on them. They hurried away, blending in with the other people in the room, very much to Tony's liking. He turned to Pepper with a smirk on his lips, still amazed how well that protective-dad mode suited him. He loved looking out for his little girl and make sure no harm was ever done to her. He constantly tried to create an environment that gave his child potential to be safe and to grow as a person, to love and guide it, and while it wasn't always easy, Tony was proud of himself for he had become a better father than his dad ever was.

"How does she look?"

"See for yourself," Pepper said to him, as she faced the barn door. "It's okay, honey," she spoke softly, addressing their daughter. "It's just me and daddy now."

When Morgan kept hiding outside—only once did she peek through the door—Tony grinned. It never ceased to surprise him that his daughter's bubbly nature hid such shyness. But it only made him love her more. She was freaking adorable!

"Come on... Let me have a look at my gorgeous girl," he encouraged her. "Please? Pretty please?"

Shyly, the little one stepped forward, and Tony went stock-still. His daughter was wearing a pretty, blue dress, and on her face a smile Tony thought was there just for him. When she moved, the folds in the skirt looked blue and the creases black and the dress swayed so elegantly, as if it was dancing with her. In Morgan's curly hair was pinned a baby-blue ribbon with slightly frayed ends, and her pink ballet flats flaunted glittery upper that featured a velvet bow accent. Tony had never seen his daughter look more beautiful, and he was so moved by the sight that he began to tear up.

"Is that really our girl?" he asked Pepper while he kept his eyes on Morgan, and wiped away a tear with the palm of his hand.

"She's starting to grow up," Pepper replied, smiling at Tony's reaction.

"I forbid it," he said, catching a glimpse of his wife. "She's not allowed to grow up. Not ever."

Every day with his daughter was like opening up a jewelry box filled with beautiful, sparkling treasures and she was the most priceless treasure of them all. Tony couldn't imagine ever letting her leave home to take on the world. What if she went to college and never called? What if she was so busy being an adult, she wouldn't have time to come home anymore? Or worse, she didn't _want_ to come home? The thought of becoming a father had freaked him the hell out, but it didn't compare to this feeling of seeing his baby girl grow up and the fear of missing out. He didn't want to miss one moment of her life.

Clutching a piece of paper in her chubby fingers, which she had rolled up and tied with a pink bow, Morgan stood in front of him. The excitement of showing everyone just how beautiful she looked was all over her face, but right now, all she cared about was her father's opinion. She didn't say it, but Tony could feel it. He knew that look she was giving him, because it was the exact same look he gave Pepper whenever he wanted her opinion on something. Sometimes being subtle was being obvious, at least in his case—and his daughter's.

"I must be dreaming," Tony said and crouched down to her level. Touching her arms, her hair, face and legs, he shook his head. "I'm not. You're real! I thought you were an angel." Morgan giggled. "Are you Morgan Stark?" She nodded. "Are you sure?" Tony looked deeply into her eyes, and she nodded again, as she tried not to laugh. "Then, I am officially the luckiest man on Earth, because my daughter looks like a real princess." He kissed her cheek, "I adore your pretty face and your beautiful dress. You look perfect... just perfect," and then the other one.

Morgan looked up at her mother, her face beaming with happiness. Then she looked back at Tony, her eyes holding the warm love of her heart. "This is for you, daddy!" she said, holding out her gift for him.

"You know, I don't like being handed things, but this... This I love to be handed," he told her, and Morgan giggled whereas her mother couldn't help but laugh. "I thought the cake was your present," he said, unrolling the small piece of paper. "But this is nice. Because who doesn't love to get more presents? But you, uh, don't have to give me much... You know that, don't you? One birthday gift is fine. Because I would still love you if you didn't give me anything. I will always love you. Because you're you... and you mean more to me than all the birthday presents in the world put together."

"Just open it, daddy!" Morgan stomped her foot, impatient.

"Alright, alright." Tony laughed. "I just wanted to make sure you know that I don't expect you to—" Morgan stomped her foot again, and Tony laughed louder. "You're definitely my kid," he noted and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he looked at the gift. It was a drawing of three people—a father, a mother and a child—in Iron Man suits, and Tony smirked as it became obvious to him what this was all about.

"This is you... and this is mommy" Morgan pointed at the different figures of her drawing with her index finger, "and this is me."

Tony aimed a smug grin at Pepper. "See? This is what I've been trying to tell you... My days as Iron Man may be over, but we could still suit up and have some fun."

"Until someone gets hurt," Pepper countered, grinning at him.

"Why would we get hurt? We're not gonna be heroes, just..."

"No one gets hurt, mommy," the girl came to her father's defense. "And I want—"

"No... You're not gonna get a suit, Morgan." Pepper cut her off.

"Pep, please... Don't make our child cry on my birthday." Tony pleaded, still wearing a grin on his face.

"Daddy, can you make me a suit?" Morgan had already learned that ignoring her mother wouldn't work, it never did, but she could at least try. "I want to be like you."

"I've heard that sentence before, kid, and, uh, let's just say, it didn't end so well. But I promise you, I'm gonna talk to your mama about it and we'll find a way for you to—"

"Tony, please don't promise her to get something you _know_ she's never gonna have."

Tony got up from the ground and put a hand on Pepper's arm, as if that could have a magic effect on her. "Honey, I have ideas, okay?" He used his softest voice possible; the one that poured over her like warm cream, blowing all defenses. "About this whole suit thing... and they're safe. Nothing dangerous." Pepper sighed, and Tony knew his magic was working and she wasn't entirely saying no the thought. "It's gonna be fun, trust me."

Pepper looked him dead in the eye. "Just promise me, you're not going to—"

"I quit. That's a done deal." Putting a strand of her hair back in place, he smiled. He knew exactly what she was worried about. He knew _why_ she worried. But there was no reason to. "I'm not planning to go back into that superhero business. Not now, not ever. I'm happy with my life and I wouldn't change a thing. You and my daughter are my priority. Nothing else matters."

Pepper heaved another deep sigh. The thought certainly scared her, but at the same time she trusted him to know what he was doing, as far as his suits were concerned. "If she gets so much as a _scratch_... I will kill you, Tony Stark."

"Fair enough," Tony remarked with a smirk, kissing her temple. "But hear me out first, alright?"

"I'm getting a suit?" Morgan's big brown eyes looked up at them.

"Your mom... I mean, _we_... are not saying no..."

"But we're not saying yes either," Pepper finished his sentence.

Although the little girl was a bit disappointed, she still smiled. If there was even the slightest chance that she could have a suit like her father, it was something to put all her hope in. She had always loved the fact that her daddy was a hero to so many people out there, and she was so proud to be his child. She had never seen him in one of his suits, but she had seen so many pictures and heard so many great stories about it, she couldn't wait to experience it first hand—and both her parents knew that she did. They knew how much she loved telling a total stranger that her dad was Iron Man; how proud she looked to see the admiration, the love, of other people for her dad. Morgan Stark would always be Iron Man's biggest fan.

"Come here," Tony said, scooping her up in his arms. He hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much for your drawing, Morgan. I love it!"

Morgan gave him a kiss on the lips, making that same 'mwah' sound that Pepper had made before. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, sweet thing."

Tony shed a tear when his daughter's arms wrapped around his neck with such intensity it seemed she didn't want to let go of him ever again. As the tear brushed her soft skin, she asked, without pulling away, "Are you crying happy tears?"

Tony laughed, looking at Pepper, and nodded. "Yes, baby."

"Mommy cried happy tears, too," their child responded.

"Then we should give mommy a big hug as well, shouldn't we?"

The moment he said it, Morgan let go and opened her arms to her mother. At the same time, Tony extended one arm to welcome Pepper into the embrace, and Pepper didn't let that invitation last long. Grinning, she stepped into the hug and flung her arms around both Tony and their daughter. She kissed the back of Morgan's head and the soft skin of her neck. Then she met Tony's eyes and smiled. Keeping their baby girl safely locked between their bodies, they kissed a few times with eyes closed, and let the warmth of that sandwich hug embrace them, their foreheads touching. They held each other so tight, they had to wonder if there was even enough room left for their daughter to breathe properly.

Tony opened his eyes and used one hand to cup Pepper's cheek. Their eyes were filled with tears, cheeks wet, but neither of them seemed to care enough to wipe the tears off. Pepper smiled at him again, feeling the undeniable connection between them in the deepest reaches of her heart. She knew it was time to tell him about the pregnancy. She had wanted this to be his birthday gift all along, but she wanted them to be alone when she finally told him. She had spent so many weeks just thinking of ways to break the news to him, she was so excited about it, she could hardly wait. Happiness radiated about her like an aura that extended itself towards Tony and engulfed him.

"Thank you for this incredible gift," he whispered to her, as he ran his thumb down the side of her face, making sure not to let go of the child he held in his other arm.

"You mean her?" Pepper laughed softly. "My pleasure."

"It was mine too." Tony joked. "Ever thought about..." He cocked a well-sculpted eyebrow at her.

"Doing it again?"

He nodded, smirking, and she just smirked back at him, not saying a word. But there was something in her eye that seemed to catch his attention. "Are you saying yes?"

"I thought we were already working on it?" Pepper feigned innocence. She was relieved that Tony hadn't managed to read in her eyes that she had briefly thought about telling him about the baby right now. "Isn't that what all the... playing contact sports... was for?" She didn't feel like mentioning sex in the presence of their daughter.

Tony's smirk widened. He didn't have trouble understanding that reference. "I must've missed somehow that you... weren't wearing protective headwear."

"You're talking funny," Morgan said with a giggle, her arms still wrapped around Tony's neck, while she watched her mother's hands move up and down her father's back, as Pepper was stroking it gently. Morgan usually wasn't one to screw up her face in disgust at her parents' display of affection, but she did have moments where it could get a little too close to the bone for her liking.

"So, we're... actively trying?" Tony asked in a quiet, hopeful voice. Well, not anymore, Pepper thought, considering they had already done more than trying.

"I guess we are," she said, smiling at him.

Tony's face lit up instantly and he pulled her close again. "I love you, Pepper Potts... Uh, Stark... Sorry, old habits... I'm actually head over heels in love with you."

"I can see that," Pepper answered, chuckling, and brushed her lips against his.

He closed the distance between them, dropping a hot kiss on her lips that was filled with as much passion as they could handle while being in public. They tried not to have their tongues join the action, but it was a lot harder than they thought it would be. Tony's breath caught in his throat, escaping in a small gasp when their lips parted, and he was worried for a moment that his ardent desire was showing between his legs. Pepper looked at him, as though she could sense his fear. A huge grin spread across her face. It wouldn't be the first time he had to hide an erection in public, but it certainly would be a first for him with his friends around.

"Do you mind, if I take a picture or are you gonna sue me too?"

"Uncle Rhodey!" Morgan screamed, and Tony had to tighten his grip on her to keep the wiggling child from jumping out of his arms.

"Whoa, easy there, girl," he said, carefully putting her down.

Morgan ran towards Rhodey, and he squatted down on his haunches and embraced her in a hug. He let go after a while, smiling at her, and she smiled back, excited that he had finally come see her.

"Oh, look what I've found," Rhodey said, voice full of excitement, and to Morgan's amazement, he skillfully made it seem as if a shiny coin had unfurled from inside Morgan's ear. "Your dad said you're saving money to buy a pony, so I think this will help. Let me see, if there's..." He moved his hand to her other ear. "I knew there was more. Look!" Morgan gazed at the two coins in his hands and then looked at him, and to see the happiness in her eyes warmed Rhodey's heart.

"It's for me?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course. Come on, take it!" He smiled. "You look very, very pretty, by the way. Like a beautiful lady."

"Don't say lady," Tony intervened. "That sounds so old... And this little girl here will stay young forever."

"You wish!" Rhodey grinned at him. "One day you'll wake up, Tones, and find her boyfriend trying to sneak out of the window."

"Ugh, boyfriend is a term we don't use in this house... _Ever_ ," Tony said, shuddering with disgust. Thinking of his little girl and another man—a lover—made his hair stand on end. It was already bad enough that he had to let her out of the house one day. Adding a boyfriend to that scenario was quite frankly his worst nightmare. "How can you be so calm about this?" he addressed Pepper.

"I think I'm just..." Pepper shrugged her shoulders and grinned. "Well, you weren't the ideal boyfriend either, but somehow I ended up with you as my husband and the father of my child, so I guess I'm just hoping that my daughter has the same influence on whatever man she chooses to be with that I had on you."

"She does have point," Rhodey noted, smirking, as he ruffled Morgan's hair. The toddler was still trying to figure out how the coins Rhodey had conjured like a rabbit out of a hat had fit into her ear and why she hadn't noticed them being there. Rhodey liked the way the small vertical wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows when she frowned. Everyone did. It was so cute.

"You two think this is funny? This is not funny." Tony shook his head, as if to dismiss a painful subject.

"Oh, it _is_ funny." Standing up, Rhodey laughed, as he patted Tony on the shoulder. "But, don't worry, man. I'll make sure she stays away from guys like you."

"Okay, that's it… You're uninvited from this party," Tony groaned a little in annoyance.

Morgan's eyes shot up to her father's at the sound of his words. "Uncle Rhodey can't leave," she almost shouted. She stared at Rhodey, then at her mother and back at Tony, searching his face for reassurance.

"I'm not going anywhere, beautiful," Rhodey said, quickly glancing at Tony who appeared completely baffled by how attentive his child was, even when she didn't seem to be listening. "And you know what? You and I, we're gonna go grab some food and let your father be haunted by ghosts of the future."

"Ghosts aren't real," Morgan argued, trying to sound as convincing as possible—she didn't want anyone to know she was actually scared of ghosts—and took Rhodey by the hand.

"To your dad, these ghosts are very real… Believe me." Rhodey laughed a little harder, looking at his friend. Tony's troubled face reflected the fear of a father who couldn't protect his child from growing up and having to learn that the real world out there was not only kind and pleasant but also cruel and dangerous. It was a constant source of worry, causing new-parent anxiety and restlessness; not just for him, but for Pepper too. Rhodey could see it in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried not to let it show on her face. "It'll be fine," he said to both Tony and Pepper. "This girl got a bunch of superheroes looking out for her. She'll be okay." He smiled at the couple and then looked down at their kid who held his hand. "Right, Morgan?" He gave her a wink and she giggled, nodding her head.

"Can we go now?" she asked, pulling at Rhodey's arm. She was eager to get in line for the buffet, because the faster they were done with eating, the sooner she could introduce Rhodey to the baby donkey—and that was literally all she could think about right now.

"Patience isn't her strong suit," Rhodey remarked, "I wonder where she got that from," and cocked an eyebrow at Tony. When Tony rolled his eyes at him, he chuckled and then walked away.

"You really think we don't have to worry?" Tony asked Pepper.

"Yes," she answered, as she hooked her arm through his, forcing him to step closer, and leaned against him, resting her head on Tony's shoulder. "But I do it anyway." Pepper sighed a deep, long sigh, while she stared into the distance where Rhodey was being swamped by a flood of words coming out of their daughter's mouth.

"We could lock her up until she's thirty, you know." Running his fingers over the soft flesh of her inner arm, Tony turned his head to get a better view of Pepper's face. "This farm still needs a security system. I mean a better one. And our daughter's already a smartass, so she doesn't need to go to college, right? And I can put a tracker on her just in case she manages to get away." Eyebrows raised, a haughty smirk filled out his cheeks. "C'mon, Pep… It'll be fun watching her try to outsmart F.R.I.D.A.Y."

Smirking back at him, Pepper ran a hand through his short hair and gave him a light kiss on his cheek. Then she laced her fingers with Tony's and held onto his arm with her other hand. Her head fell back against his shoulder and her eyes focused on the drawing in his hands. "I didn't know she wanted a suit," she said softly, wondering if this could change anything.

Tony looked at his daughter's gift. "Do _you_ want one?" he then asked curiously.

"You bet your ass, if my daughter's getting a suit, I will too."

Laughing, Tony tilted his head and kissed her hair, then lowered it to rest against hers. "Speaking of… What do I get?"

"You mean from me? For your birthday?"

"Sí."

"Oh, you'll have to wait until tonight." The very idea of seeing his reaction made a chuckle burble up in her throat.

"It is tonight… Like, right now… It's tonight!"

"Later."

"When is later?"

"I'm not gonna give it to you until we're alone."

"Then let's go and be alone."

"Tony," she said, laughing, "I didn't organize this goddamn party for you so you could find an excuse not to attend it."

"Honey…" He lifted his head and batted his lashes at her.

"Don't honey me, it's not gonna work."

"But it's my birthday," he whined, playfully pinching her arm.

"And that's why we're celebrating... Now... With all of these beautiful people." She dragged him along, as she walked towards the group of friends gathered at their table. "But what I got for you will be worth the wait." She turned to face him and grinned. "Although, I'm afraid, you're gonna have to wait a lot longer until you get it all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony wondered.

"You'll see," she said, her cheeks bursting with held back laughter.

"Oh, c'mon now… This isn't fair, Pepper!"

"Life never is... _honey_." And then the laughter escaped, but she swallowed it quickly in a kiss, a kiss that almost made him forget about all the secrecy—almost.


	3. Pinky Promises

**A/N:** _Thank you for all the favs and follows, guys! This part is just fluffy nonsense, but hopefully enjoyable. And I hope you get the bedtime story telling thing they've got going on, because I suck at explaining it. Let me know what you think._

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Tony opened the banquet by giving a short speech about how happy he was to be living the life he had built for himself, thanking his wife for her great organization skills in making this party happen last minute and Pepper's unconditional support in general. He encouraged everyone to eat heartily and enjoy the night, and after that, Rhodey surprised him by raising his glass to tell an embarrassing story from their time at MIT, pointing out how much his friend had changed. With a grin, he then sealed the toast by clinking his glass against Tony's. He told him what a lucky bastard he was for having a wife and kid and such a beautiful home and Tony couldn't even respond with a witty remark, because Rhodey was right. He sure was lucky—and a bastard.

They spent almost an hour having dinner. The caterer had delivered so many different kinds of food that it felt like a seven-course menu. They couldn't imagine the last time they had had so much to eat, but it was a real treat. And to see each and every one of their guests enjoying themselves while they engaged in lively discussions with each other during dinner was a lovely thing to witness for both Tony and Pepper. Standing next to each other, his arm around her waist, they smiled, as they watched Morgan play tag with Happy. That man adored the little girl as much as everyone else did and Morgan had a very special relationship with him, because he had been there for her a lot when she was just a baby; like a nanny, always looking out for her.

"Happy is so great with her... Makes you wonder why he never had kids of his own." Tony mumbled, making Pepper laugh. Turning to him, she smirked. "What?" he let out. "Don't act like you've never asked yourself the same thing."

"I have," she said, "But I'm not sure he even has time for a girlfriend. He is so busy babysitting you."

"Not anymore, Pep." Tony ignored the teasing, but pinched her gently in the side. "We really should get him a date. Maybe set him up like right now... Tonight?"

"Well, what type of women does he like?" she asked. She knew hooking Happy up with a random girl was a lost cause, because Happy was as stubborn as Tony sometimes, but it might be worth a try. He definitely deserved to have a good woman take care of him, like he had taken such good care of Tony all those years.

"We seriously gonna do this?" Tony was surprised Pepper was going for that kind of thing. She just grinned to say yes. "Well, I think he had a major crush on you, so..."

"He did not."

"Pep, listen to me... He totally did." Tony's face was dead serious. "You were just too, um... in love with me to notice that."

"Stop it!" She hit him lightly against the chest, trying not to laugh.

"No need to be embarrassed about it," Tony continued, "It's fine. Can't say I blame him." He smirked, and Pepper hit him again, a little harder this time. "Ouch!"

"Maybe I should've married him instead then," she answered drily.

"Double ouch," Tony said, and she chuckled, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. But when she did, Tony swiftly tilted his head so her lips landed on his mouth. "Aw, better."

Pepper chuckled, giving him another kiss, as she spoke against his lips, "You're such a jerk!"

"Tell me something I don't know," he mumbled.

"Oh, I will, Tony... I will." She eyed him, smiling a secret smile, and instantly got a rise out of him.

"Is this about my present again... which you won't tell me about?" He almost groaned, as he spoke, which made her smile turn into a grin—an _evil_ one, Tony thought.

Pepper loved making fun of him and seeing how easily irritated he was. She thought it was rather obvious what she wanted to tell him, but he didn't seem to be able to get any of it. It was probably because he hated to know she had secrets, secrets she didn't want to share with him, and this hate blinded him to see what was right in front of him. Pepper was certain, he could figure out her secret if Tony just stopped being so mad about having to wait for its reveal. It was a hell lot funnier this way, though; seeing him squirm underneath all this secretiveness.

"I told you, it'll be worth it," Pepper said. "I promise."

"What's worth what?"

"Oh, look who it is," Tony saluted Happy, "The child wrestler."

The man took a deep breath, as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Seriously, that kid has so much energy. I don't know how you guys do it."

"With love," Tony replied, patting him on the shoulder. "We do it with love. Twenty-four hours a day."

"Does that girl ever calm down? I'm exhausted. But she's with Rhodey now so you can relax. I will—"

"Hey, why don't we just..." Flinging an arm around Happy, Tony guided him to a table, "Sit down and have a little... talk... about... your life." He gave Pepper a telling look, one that said she should let him do the work of trying to find Happy a woman to go out on a date with, and Pepper had to try hard not to laugh. Tony really was a jerk—an adorable one.

Pepper sat down next to Natasha, joining in on her conversation with Bruce. She didn't know how many minutes passed until Rhodey joined them, seeming almost as exhausted as Happy before. "Where is she?" she asked, looking around.

"You mean Morgan?" She nodded. "Um, she said something about a surprise for me and then a name, but I can't remember what it was."

"Pedey?" Pepper was immediately alarmed.

"Yeah, that's the one. Said she'd get him here, because he'd love to meet me." Rhodey looked confused. Pepper clearly felt uncomfortable and he didn't understand why that name would raise any red flags.

"Oh no!" Pepper quickly got up from her chair, waving at Tony who had told Happy by now that he needed to get into the world of dating—the annoyed look on Happy's face was too obvious. It was a statement of him knowing about Tony's plans and not liking them.

"Who _is_ that guy?" Rhodey asked.

"It's not a guy," Pepper answered. When she saw the look on Rhodey's face, she added, "It's complicated." She didn't want to ruin her child's surprise by telling Rhodey about the donkey, but she also didn't want her daughter to ruin the party.

"What's going on?" Tony wondered. "You okay?" He had put Happy off to see what all the fuss was about. "Why you waving your hands at me like you're some kind of air traffic controller on the runway, huh?"

Pepper dragged him away from the small crowd. "I think our daughter is trying—"

"What's she doing with the baby donkey?" Tony cut her short and Pepper turned around, facing the barn door.

"I didn't actually think she'd know how to put a leash on him," Pepper said in wonder. "I guess our baby's full of surprises."

Morgan walked over to them, Pedey following her, like she had already trained him to a near perfect heel. Both Pepper and Tony watched, as she approached them with a huge smile on her face. The whole crowd seemed to freeze at the sight of a little girl taking a donkey for a walk. Those city people simply weren't used to farm life, Tony guessed. He was surprised too, though. The way his kid handled the animal was like she had never done anything else in her life. His daughter and that baby donkey definitely had some kind of connection, and he was happy that his child got to make memories like these. Living on this farm, Morgan experienced so many great things in life; it was more than he could have ever given her in the city. His daughter truly belonged here, and so did he. He and Pepper.

"Well, Rhodes... This is..."

"Pedey!" Morgan almost shouted. "I named him after you." She stopped next to Rhodey, looking at him with her big brown eyes, as she waited for his reaction. The baby donkey instantly started pulling at the table cloth with his teeth.

Rhodey didn't know what to say, so he just made an 'Aw' sound, trying to think of something a little more expressive. "That is one hell of a cute donkey!" He touched its head, petting the animal, while he smiled at Morgan. "Is it yours?"

Morgan nodded, not even looking at her parents to see if there might be some disagreement. "I named him after Peter, too." She lowered her head, as though she was ashamed of it. But when Rhodey ran a hand through her hair, she raised it again and looked back at him.

"I love that," he told her. "It's such a cool name for a donkey, Morgan."

"Be careful, baby," Pepper butted in, seeing how hard Pedey was now pulling at the table cloth and her daughter surprisingly understood the hint immediately. She yanked on the leash, getting him away from it, but then Morgan's eyes fell on the one person she hadn't seen in over a week and she let go of the rope completely, running towards him. "No, honey, wait! You can't..."

It only took a brief moment until the donkey was running the other way, trying to get away from the crowd. He jumped like a rabbit who had been hit by lighting, destroying everything in its path. Chairs fell, accompanied by the clattering of crockery and cutlery, as tableware shattered on the ground. People were jumping out of the donkey's way, fearing to just be run into and knocked down. Some of them even screamed in panic, but there wasn't anyone who tried to escape through the door. In fact, Happy was the first one to block it, so that Pedey couldn't get out and run off to who the hell knew where. The mini Stark, however, didn't even seem to be aware of the mess she had made, as she was happily holding onto Peter's neck, hugging him.

"Sorry, I didn't say hello sooner," he apologized to her. "I had to… be somewhere. But I'm here now." Holding her close, Peter watched as Tony and Rhodey tried to catch the wild animal that had been let loose. He smirked, more so at the fact that the child in his arms was completely unfazed by the chaos. "Look what you did, Momo." Peter was the only one allowed to call her that, Morgan insisted.

She turned, one arm still around his neck, and watched the donkey as it ran from the adults. Her father was chasing after it, attempting to grab the leash, and then fell right flat on his face, shouting at Rhodey to try harder and throwing a curse word around, she had heard before but knew she wasn't allowed to say. Morgan started laughing like only kids can, loud and long. Her body shook so much with laughter that Peter had to tighten his grasp to keep her from falling. Soon, Morgan cheered Tony on, clapping and chanting, like he was competing against someone in a tournament, and Peter couldn't help but laugh too, as he joined her cheerleading squad, jumping around with Tony's baby girl in his arms.

It wasn't until Pepper Potts decided to step in that they finally managed to capture the donkey. It had taken about fifteen to twenty minutes and the place looked like it had been hit by a hurricane, but no one really seemed to care. They all clapped when the redhead finally got the animal to calm down, locking it safely in her arms. Pepper watched Tony with a smirk, as he sat on the floor, breathless from running around for half an hour.

"You're a lifesaver, honey," he panted. "You should come to people's rescue more often."

She laughed. "Are you okay, babe?"

"Yeah." Tony slowly got up from the ground and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "No broken bones and no bruises... _Yet_."

"Oh, no," Pepper said, smirking. "I meant are you okay with me stealing your show... Iron Man?"

"It was our daughter's show," Tony argued, ignoring the teasing. "And by the sounds of it, she enjoyed it an awful lot." He looked at Morgan, who met his gaze instantly with a huge smile on her face. "Give me the little monster," he said, taking the donkey from Pepper. Then he walked over to his daughter and Peter, holding the animal on the leash. He studied Peter from head to toe and realized in an instant that he had been out, chasing bad guys, but Tony chose to ignore that too. "Hi, kid... s," he said, waving foolishly.

Peter chuckled. It wasn't the first time he noticed what a huge dork Tony Stark was, but it was always such a funny thing to see. "Is that your birthday present?" he asked, pointing at the animal.

"No, that's actually..." Tony paused and looked at his daughter. "I think she wants to tell you, don't you?" Morgan nodded. "So, I'm going to give you your donkey back, but you got to promise me, you won't let go of that rope ever again. You hear me, baby Stark?" Morgan nodded again. "Promise."

"I promise," she said softly.

"I think you should pinky promise." Tony held up his little finger and Morgan took it. "What happens if you break your promise?"

"My baby finger will break and it will hurt," she answered, staring at him.

Tony managed to keep the laughter from bubbling all the way up to his face. "You really are a smart girl." He grinned and kissed her cheek, then Peter put her down and Tony handed her the leash. "There you go," he said, stroking her head gently, and turned to Peter. "Make sure the pet is back in the shed soon. We don't need any more casualties, Pete."

There was something in Tony's eyes that made Peter feel like he wasn't solely referring to the incident that had happened with the animal. It was like Tony knew that he'd been out on a mission as Spider-Man earlier and was trying to tell him that he needed him to take care of himself. Tony never stopped worrying about him and that meant a lot to Peter. Stark had become more than a mentor to him. He was a father figure, like a real dad, and although he would never tell him that, out of the fear to be embarrassed, Peter felt like Tony knew. He'd always known.

"Yes, sir," Peter said, holding up his little finger. "Pinky promise?"

Morgan giggled while Tony rolled his eyes at him in faux annoyance. "Real funny, kid. Real funny..."

Peter laughed. "I'll take care of these two, old man, don't worry." Looking down at the little girl, he offered her his hand. "How about we go for a walk, Morgan?"

Morgan looked at Tony. He figured she was asking his permission to go with Parker. "It's alright, honey. Just remember what you promised me, alright? Don't let go."

Taking Peter's hand, she nodded. "I want to keep my finger," she replied in all seriousness, making Tony grin.

Peter led her outside. It was getting dark, but they could still see enough of their surroundings to walk safely. "Listen, you know your finger isn't actually going to break if you break your promise, right? Your dad is just saying that to... scare you. And it's a bit mean, if you ask me."

Morgan shrugged her shoulders. "Mommy said daddy breaks promises all the time and he still has his little finger." She frowned. "I think because he is a superhero."

"No," Peter said, shaking his head. "It's because fingers simply don't break when a promise is broken and I'm sure you do know that." Stroking her hair, he smiled. "Don't listen to everything your dad says, Morgan. And, uh, please don't tell him I said that, okay?" He laughed, patting her small head, and walked with her to the stables. Peter sat in the hay, back leaned against the wall, and Morgan sat down beside him. "So, who is that little friend of yours?"

Morgan smiled when Peter started petting the donkey, showing a real interest in her new companion. "He is just a baby," she said.

"And you are his mama?" Peter joked and took the leash from her, as he noticed how excited she became. He didn't want Morgan to break her promise to Tony just because she couldn't contain herself. And when she giggled, stuffing her hand into her mouth, Peter almost laughed, because that was exactly what he feared would happen. "I was just kidding," he explained, pulling her into his lap.

"You want to know his name?" the little girl asked excitedly, as she met his gaze, and Peter nodded. "It is..."

"Eeyore?"

"No," Morgan said, laughing.

"Fred?"

Morgan laughed harder. "Nooooo," she almost yelled.

"Then what is it?"

Calming down, she looked at him with her eyes wide open and a big smile on her face. "It's Pedey." Peter thought for a minute—a minute too long for Morgan's taste. "You don't like it?" she asked, her smile fading.

"No, no, no," Peter shook his head, "I love it." He gave her a reassuring smile. "You named him after me?" She nodded. "And, um... Rhodey?" She nodded again. Peter sighed; glad he had not made the mistake of guessing it wrong and upsetting her. Upsetting a Stark could be fatal. He knew from experience. "That is so sweet!" He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I feel very honored." And then he kissed her temple. "I've missed you, you know."

Morgan snuggled up against him, burying her head in the crook of Peter's neck. "I missed you, too," she said quietly and sighed. They sat that way for minutes until she broke the silence, pointing at the floor. "Look, a spider!"

Peter grinned. Morgan Stark was the only toddler he knew that was fascinated by spiders. She loved all kinds of animals. She loved a lot of things in life in general, but there was always something special for her about seeing a spider. Spiders and bugs. She loved every small creature crawling around on this farm. From the very first moment she had made her first step, she was out exploring nature. Peter couldn't imagine her living in the city. She would probably go nuts. There was a reason Rhodey called her Morgan Montana. She was a farm girl to the tips of her fingers.

"Why do you like spiders so much?" Peter asked. Truth be told, not even he, the one and only Spider-Man, was as fascinated by those small creatures as she was.

"Because spiders are friends with Spider-Man." Morgan's answer came quick like a shot. "And I want to be friends with Spider-Man."

Peter laughed softly. "I know he is your favorite superhero." He took pride in that, a lot more than Tony liked to see. It was fun teasing him, though. But of course Peter knew Iron Man would always be Morgan's all-time favorite superhero. Tony knew that too. He had to. Because the adoration this girl had for her father was the most obvious, purest thing in the world.

"Yes, he is," Morgan said, looking at him with a smile.

"And what's so great about Spider-Man?" Peter wanted to know.

"I think he's cute." She turned her face away, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"You think he's cute?"

"Do _you_ think he's cute?" Morgan asked in return.

"Oh, I'm sure he's the cutest," Peter answered, laughing. He tied the rope around his wrist to make sure the donkey couldn't get away and put both arms around Morgan, hugging her. How could Spider-Man be the cutest when that title already belonged to her, though?

"Daddy meets Spidey all the time, but he doesn't come." Her face was clouded with disappointment, as she pouted. That was her daddy's pout, Peter noticed, grinning to himself. She pouted like Tony.

"What do you mean, he doesn't come?" he asked her, but quickly understood what she wanted to say, as he thought about it. "Oh, you mean Tony's not inviting him to your house to have dinner with you guys or... just hang out?"

Nodding, she blew out air between gritted teeth, as though it annoyed her to even think about it. "Have you seen Spidey?"

"While I was doing my internship, yes. I met him a couple of times." Peter had talked to Tony about whether Morgan was allowed to know who he was, but Tony hadn't liked the idea of her worrying about Peter like he did, so they both had decided to wait until she was older.

"You think he would like me?" She snuggled back against the boy she saw as her brother, looking at her now favorite animal, and wondered what it would be like to be friends with Spider-Man.

Peter rubbed his hand up and down her arm, telling her, "He would love you," and then smiled softly, as she looked up at him. "He would love you so much," he added. "Almost as much as I do." Morgan smiled back at him. "And because I love you so much, I will talk to him and tell him that you are his biggest fan. You'd like that?" Morgan couldn't even nod her head hard enough.

Throwing her arms around his neck, she told him she loved him and he rubbed her back, telling her how happy he was to have her as a sister. She held on to him, like she didn't want to let go again, and Peter couldn't wipe that stupid smile off his face. It was still there when Pepper came to get Morgan about thirty minutes later, and she immediately started smiling at the sight of them snuggled up to each other in the hay. Peter was a great kid and an even greater influence for Morgan, and Pepper was really grateful for May to have raised such a sweet, caring young boy that her daughter was lucky enough to have as a friend—a brother.

"Is she asleep?" Pepper whispered, noticing her child wasn't moving.

"Almost," Peter replied. "We played with Pedey and then she told me all about the tree house Tony wants to build with her and the pony she's gonna buy with her own money, and at some point she just got quiet and wanted to cuddle." Emitting a soft laugh, he handed the toddler to her mother and got up from the ground.

"How does she know about the tree house," Pepper asked, holding the little girl's head to her chest. "That was supposed to be a surprise."

Peter shrugged. "I don't know. She said she saw Tony's plans and that he forgot to add a slide so she can get out of there quickly in case of an emergency."

Laughing, Pepper kissed Morgan's head. "My smart girl." She sighed with content, as she nuzzled her daughter's sweet-smelling hair. "Time for you to go to bed."

"No," Morgan protested, her voice hoarse and raspy with fatigue.

"Oh, yes!" Pepper chuckled. "Come on... Say goodnight."

Morgan turned in Pepper's arms to look at Peter. She yawned loudly and then used whatever strength she had left to wave at him; hard enough that Peter feared her arm might fall off. He gave her a big smile and hearty wave. Then he stepped towards her and hugged Morgan, kissing her head. Pepper watched with a fuzzy feeling inside her chest. Her stomach tumbled, as she imagined what this new life she carried inside would bring to them. She had no idea how to raise a boy, if that's what she was expecting, didn't have a brother as a shining example, but she knew it would be an exciting adventure. And being best friends with the woman who had raised the sweet boy Peter Parker was definitely a great asset.

"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" Peter said. "Of course I know you're not afraid of them. You love bugs." Morgan giggled. "I'll see you soon, Momo. I love you."

"Love you too," she replied, leaning forward to kiss his cheek, and Peter blushed slightly. With Pepper being around, he felt as though he had to act like a tough guy, but that was probably what she experienced with Tony all the time. Everyone was melting in the presence of that kid, even superheroes. "Don't forget to tell Spidey I also love him."

"I won't," Peter said. "And I'll let you know what he said." Pepper looked at him with a grin, eyebrow raised, while her lips were tightly shut to not let that laughter escape. Peter smirked. "I forgot to tell you, May says hi. She's sorry she couldn't make it, but wants to get together soon to catch up."

She smiled. "How about Sunday? For brunch? You can bring MJ."

"Awesome," he exclaimed, saluting her. "We'll talk later."

* * *

Crouched down beside Morgan's bed, Pepper smoothed her daughter's hair off her forehead. She tenderly ran a hand over her cheek, smiling. "So how was your day, sweetie? Did you have a good time?"

"Peter loves Pedey and Pedey loves him back." She yawned, rubbing her tired eyes. "And uncle Rhodey gave me a coin and uncle Happy said I'm just like daddy and daddy liked my dress and his present..." Her voice fell to a whisper as she continued, "He cried." Then she giggled.

"Sounds like you had a great day," Pepper responded with a laugh.

Morgan threw her arms around her mother's neck, pulling her down to hug her. "Thank you, mommy."

"What for?" Pepper asked, kissing her daughter's hair.

"Being my mommy."

"Aw, honey, you don't have to thank me. It's my absolute pleasure." She smothered Morgan's face with wet kisses, making the little one squeak with laughter.

"Why aren't you sleeping, young lady? It's way past your bedtime." Tony's words were almost drowned by the loud noises coming out of Morgan's mouth.

"Is this becoming a habit now? You, sneaking up on us?" Pepper turned to him amused.

He sat down right next to her, his hand slipping around her body, as he put the other on Morgan's head. "Actually... I'm starting to feel left out," Tony said, pouting. "You ladies have so much fun without me."

"But we love you, daddy," Morgan assured him, smiling at her father.

"I know, baby," he said, flashing a soft smile. "So, are you ready for your story?"

"I thought you forgot," she admitted quietly.

Tony ruffled her hair. "Why? 'Cause I'm busy celebrating my birthday?" Morgan nodded. "I could _never_ forget this, principessa. We do this every night, remember? And your mama and I will keep doing this until you get sick of it."

Morgan's smile reached her ears, excitement plastered on her face, and she rolled onto her side, her head pressing deep into the pillow. Tony pulled the blanket over her shoulder until she was completely tucked in.

"Topic?"

"Pedey."

"Of course... Why did I even ask?" He laughed. "Setting?"

"Space."

"Genre... You know, um... Last night we created a pretty great love story about that pirate, the dinosaur, who got married to lady dinosaur in the Caribbean and—"

"They had a pink bathtub."

"Yes," Tony said. "Thanks, by the way, for that one, Pep. I almost didn't know how to continue."

Pepper laughed. "I'm sorry, but you said there are no rules, so I figured a ship would just be boring storytelling. And it was a _pink_ bathtub after all."

"Yeah... Very romantic."

Morgan giggled gleefully, as she remembered the funny expression on her father's face upon hearing her mother talk about a shiny pink bathtub that the dinosaurs found on the deserted island. It was like she could see the wheels in his head turning until, eventually, he continued, telling her that the dinosaurs used that bathtub as a vessel. That story was one of the best she had ever heard. It had been really sweet and she enjoyed stories about love, but tonight, she wanted something different. Every night she wanted a different story, and every night her parents told a story better than the night before.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Tony asked. "Have you decided?"

She thought, knitting her eyebrows. "Funny," she said first, but quickly changed her mind. "Crime."

"You really want to challenge us, huh?" Tony looked at Pepper. Her smile seemed to lit up the whole room. Seeing her that happy made his heart flip. It always did. All he wanted was his two women to be happy. "Shall mommy go first?"

"Yes," Morgan replied.

"Honey, do the honors and begin, will you?"

Smirking, Tony kissed her lips, and then Pepper began the story of how a baby donkey named Pedey was given the opportunity to become an astronaut and fly to the moon. She only said five sentences, then it was Tony's turn to continue and after he came up with five sentences, the ball was back in Pepper's court. And so the plot unfolded... At first, their sentences connected in a way that Pedey had to investigate a murder of a crew member on the space shuttle, but then Pepper had somehow managed to twist the plot and suddenly the donkey himself was the prime suspect. Morgan smiled foolishly through the whole thing while her parents challenged each other by creating the weirdest scenarios with those five sentences they formed.

They couldn't remember why they had started to tell their own, very creative bedtime stories, but it had been going on for over a year now. Each night for about ten minutes, they let their daughter set the tone of a narrative they created. It could include everything and everyone. It had talking animals in real settings, kind of like the animation movies Morgan loved watching. It had real people. People she knew, like Peter and Rhodey. There was no end to their imagination—or their daughter's—and sometimes, when Morgan couldn't think of a topic, Pepper and Tony made up a story about their life as a family. It was a game, but it was also a way for them to spend some quality time together after a busy day.

It had, in fact, become such an important part of their life that if one of them couldn't be there at night because of work, they sometimes facetimed and told their five-sentences stories to each other, long after Morgan was put to bed. It was sickeningly sweet and silly, but the content of their stories usually wasn't even kid-friendly. Quite the contrary, each sentence filling with more and more smut until those ten minutes became half an hour, a full hour, maybe even more, of them taking turns at dirty talk. And all their stories had a happy ending—or as Tony had once put it: their stories were the only ones were the typical stages of storytelling were mixed up, ending with the climax.

"So, Pedey didn't kill the hamster?" Morgan asked a bit confused after her parents had finished.

"No, honey," Pepper said, "Pedey would never do that. The cat was just framing him for something he didn't do."

"And it's in jail now," Tony added. "You know, there's a maximum security prison on planet Mars? That's where they're taking the cat."

Both Tony and Pepper looked at her child, as she crinkled her forehead thoughtfully. It was a relief when she clapped her hands together and smiled. "I like this story," she said, "but I was scared, because I thought Pedey was bad."

"Are you still scared?" Tony asked and she shook her head. "So you're gonna sleep peacefully?" Morgan nodded. "And dream sweetly?"

"Yes," she answered, giggling.

"If you do have a bad dream," Tony began telling her, "you just call F.R.I.D.A.Y, okay? Because you know her and I are connected… and I can be there right away if there is anything wrong."

"I know," Morgan said. "You can go, daddy, I'm fine." She yawned. "I'm tired."

"I can see that, you little punk." He laughed, as he ruffled her hair and gave her a kiss. "Thank you for the amazing birthday present and the sweet cake," Tony whispered to her, planting another kiss on her cheek. "That was my favorite thing about today." He smiled sweetly. "And I hope you're going to wear that dress for me again, because you looked so beautiful, my heart almost couldn't take it."

"Your heart is too old," Morgan said with a giggle, making Tony laugh.

"My heart is too much in love with you," he countered. "Sometimes I feel like I need a bigger one to hold all the love I have for you, darling." He glanced at Pepper. "And your mama, of course."

Morgan fixed her gaze on Pepper. "Mommy is crying again," she noticed. "I hope it is happy tears."

"They are happy tears, baby," her mother said, kissing her. "I'm sorry. I just love watching you with your dad." Apologizing for her tears, or rather for her hormonal imbalance, would become a lot easier once she told Tony about the pregnancy.

"Your mother cries a lot these days to the point it's getting kinda weird, I noticed that too," Tony said, eyeing Pepper. Good thing she had decided to tell him tonight, Pepper thought.

Morgan turned around, as though sleep had suddenly become too overwhelming and breathed a goodnight to both her parents. Pepper and Tony stared at each other in confusion. Then Tony shrugged his shoulders and got back on his feet, helping Pepper up.

"So, it's just you and me now, huh?" he remarked, grinning at her.

"No," Pepper said, chuckling, "there's still a party going on in our barn, so I guess it'll be another while until it's just us."

"Honey, did I mention how annoying it is to know you have secrets?"

"You don't have to mention it, I can see it on your face," she told him, smirking. "Your beautiful face, by the way." Pepper kissed him, long and deep, then broke away slowly and watched him squirm.

"God, what do I have to do to get more of that?" he breathed out, a little frustrated at his own desire.

"Send your guests home."

"I can do that."

"In an hour or two."

"I don't want that."

"You don't?"

"I want it now."

Pepper laughed at his obvious need for her; for wanting to be alone with her and learn about her secret; to hear her call out his name in a passionate moan while they made love. She checked if their daughter was already asleep, then said, "What if I promise you to have sex with you all night? Will _that_ be worth the wait?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Tony shook his head, as though he already had to shake off certain images, and dragged her along as he left Morgan's bedroom. "Do you _like_ torturing me?"

"Maybe." Pepper smirked.

"Definitely."

"Only sometimes." Tony sighed and she took his hands in hers, running her thumbs over his knuckles. "One hour, okay? Just sixty more minutes and I promise you, Tony Stark, I'll be all yours... all night."

"You _are_ all mine," Tony corrected her and the pride glowed like a neon light on his face. His expression magically turned Pepper's smirk into a sweet smile. He kissed her, wrapped his arms around her body, and then held up his little finger. "Pinky promise?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Pepper said, laughing.

"You know what happens if you break it, right?"

"I don't ever break my promises, Tony. I just hope you can keep up." She hooked her little finger around his, smirking at him.

"Oh, don't you worry about my ability to keep... _it_... up," he replied with a wickedly suggestive grin. "You'd be surprised, babe."


	4. Can't Wait to Meet You

_**A/N:** There'll be more of Peter later on in case y'all wondering. This is rated M, because smut._

* * *

They spent two more hours with all their guests. Peter was the last one to say goodbye. Tony hugged him for almost a minute before he let go and when the boy had disappeared, he let out a long, deep sigh, running a hand through his hair. He looked at Pepper, smiling weakly, and then took her hand, as they walked back to the house. Pepper noticed how quiet Tony was, as if his mind was taking command of his thoughts in a way that bothered him, and when he still hadn't uttered a single word as they went upstairs, she chose to address it. She worried now.

"Tony, what's wrong? You okay?" Pepper asked, closing the bedroom door behind her. She kicked off her heels and wriggled her toes in relief.

"Feet hurting?" Tony's sympathetic voice said.

She cast him a wry smile. "If I could walk around at work, like I do here, I totally would."

Ever since the two of them moved to the countryside, Pepper had made it a habit to walk around barefoot, unless she was doing farm work. She had also gotten quite a lot of flannel shirts and cutoff denim shorts and skirts, so on her birthday, Tony had given her a Western-style cowboy hat and leather boots to match the cowgirl outfit—he said her new look was a major turn-on, because those itty-bitty denim shorts cupped her fine ass and rode up, exposing the soft curve of her cheeks when she bent over. Tony enjoyed watching her do chores in that outfit; stuff hay into hay nets, sweep the barn aisles and climb the ladder to the top of their silo and throw down corn for the cows to eat. It was incredibly sexy.

"You're a country queen, babe... a goddess," Tony said, full of pride, and laid his hands on her hips. His lips curved into a slow, sexy smile. "You should get rid of your dress."

"Tell me what's wrong." It was hard resisting him, but she insisted.

"Just worried about the kid."

"Peter?"

"Yeah..." Tony sighed. "I think he matured a lot, Pep. He really has. But, you know, he's still a young boy who doesn't understand that he's in way over his head on this superhero thing."

"He's not your responsibility, honey. You know that. And he hasn't done anything... stupid... in years. He's a kid, yes, but he's not a fool." Putting her hands on his face, she stroked Tony's cheek with both her thumbs. "Remember that time Peter backed down from a fight, because things were getting out of hand and he knew he couldn't beat that guy? Remember what you told him when that kid was so disappointed with himself he almost cried?"

Tony looked her in the eye and his crinkles slowly softened into tiny, puffy folds. "Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it. And knowing when to give up is not a weakness... It's a strength," he answered.

Pepper smiled. "Peter knows how to take care of himself, because you're always there to remind him." Kissing Tony's lips while he held her, she felt the tension leave his body. "He'll be fine, Tony. Please, don't worry."

Tony closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. "I just don't want anything to happen to him... I can't look out for him anymore."

"You don't have to be in a suit to be there for him," she replied, her voice a whisper like his.

"Yeah, I know..." Tony said, sighing. "It's just hard. Because I really feel like he's... my kid."

"He _is_ your kid," Pepper answered sweetly. "You two are inseparable." She gave Tony a soft smile when he opened his eyes to look at her. "And I'm so proud of you, my darling."

"For what?"

"For being such a great mentor and wonderful father..." Her eyes filled with tears. "And amazing husband."

"You're a sap," Tony remarked with a smirk, stroking her back gently.

"A sap who absolutely adores you," Pepper said, smirking too.

"So, we're finally alone now, huh?" Tony noted, as he drew her towards the bed, pushed her back on to it and lifted up her long gown. "Feels like I've been waiting a lifetime."

"Don't you want your present first?" Pepper asked, taking his face in her hands, and bent Tony's head down towards hers to kiss him again.

"What is it? You're finally gonna tell me?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm gonna show you." She slipped out from under him, standing up.

He buried his head in the pillow and groaned. "Ugh, I _just_ got you into bed and now you're leaving again?"

Pepper chuckled. "Just give me five minutes. Just five, okay?" Smiling, she disappeared into their en-suite bathroom where she could still hear him mumble a few angry words. It made her grin.

Tony waited. He waited and waited, and it seemed more to him than just five minutes. He sat up in bed, his eyes fixated on the bathroom door. His patience was wearing thin, but could anyone blame him? She had made him wait hours for this. Every time he had tried to worm it out of her—that secret she wouldn't tell—Pepper had smirked at him, like she was planning some kind of big reveal that was going to blow his mind. And he hated how much fun Pepper had teasing him and that he couldn't just let it go. She had never been this mysterious about a gift, or anything else in life for that matter. All the more reason for him to be suspicious about it and freak out.

He got up and took his clothes off, leaving his pants on, and returned to bed, sitting down at the edge of it. "Are you done now?" he grunted, loud enough for Pepper to hear, as he threw himself back on the bed. Tony stared at the ceiling while he shuffled his feet nervously.

"Geez, Tony, ease up!" Pepper told him, as she stepped into the room, laughing softly. She saw him there, legs dangling over the side of the bed, arms splayed out as if he were trying to fly.

Tony lifted his head off the mattress and his jaw instantly dropped at the sight of his wife as she stood there in a filmy pale pink negligee he had never seen before. It almost looked translucent against her skin, except for where the dark shadows of her nipples pressed against the fabric. The light in the room embraced her, exaggerating every curve and angle of the body Tony knew so well. Her long shapely legs appeared through the front opening of the negligee. A light blush filled her cheeks, paired with a smile on her lips. She didn't move much. She just stood there and let Tony devour her with his eyes, inch by breathtaking inch as possessiveness flowed off him in waves. Tony's breath caught in his throat, his mouth was completely dry. The sight of her almost left him speechless. Almost.

"You're sizzling!"

Pepper chuckled and made a few steps forward until she was right in front of him. "Close your eyes," she said, smirking at him.

"You're wearing _that_ and you want me to close my eyes?" Tony replied, as he reached out to touch her.

"No," she said, slapping his hand away gently. "Please, close your eyes. I need you to listen."

"Listen to what?" Tony scoffed, his frustration bubbling underneath.

"You'll know if you close your eyes," Pepper said, grinning. She knew he wasn't really mad at her. Frustrated maybe, but not angry.

"Fine. My eyes are closed. See!" He shut them, pointing at them with his index fingers. "Closed. Just like you wanted."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y?" she addressed the AI. "Will you please play the recording? You know, the one that—"

"I know," F.R.I.D.A.Y answered.

"Wait, how come _she_ knows and I don't?" Tony wondered. He was a little offended. Then again, should he even be surprised? F.R.I.D.A.Y always seemed to know what was going on around her, just like his good friend J.A.R.V.I.S had.

"Shut up and listen, Tony!" Pepper demanded, and Tony immediately followed her command.

He listened quietly to the recording, listened closely for about a minute, and the second he actually realized what he was listening to, he gulped, his eyes flooding with tears. He let them spill down his face and land like raindrops on his hands. More tears erupted, giving way to the avalanche. He didn't care. He just sat there in silence, crying. And he smiled. He smiled, tasting the salt of his own tears, keeping his eyes closed, as he listened to his baby's strong and healthy heartbeat. This couldn't be real, he thought. It just couldn't. Because what on Earth had he ever done to deserve this?

"Now open them," Pepper said, and it was as if Tony could actually hear her smiling. "Open your eyes."

Tony's eyes fluttered open and, to his surprise, Pepper had shrugged out of her negligee and stood there completely naked. His gaze took in her sweet face, her skin shining in its lucency. Tony let his eyes feast on her rising peach-tipped breast for a moment until he noticed the words on her stomach. His vision was blurry from tears, but the red lipstick she had used to write them with was so bright, reading what they said wasn't difficult at all: 'I can't wait to meet you, daddy!'

Tony reached out a hand and put it on her stomach, as though he had to touch the words—feel them—to convince himself there were true. Pepper's muscles twitched at the contact made with her skin. He ran his hand over her belly, tracing each letter, as if he was writing the words all over again. When he'd finished, he looked up at his wife in disbelief. Surprised. Speechless. Still crying silent tears, Tony opened his mouth, releasing a breath, but he remained quiet. It was simply impossible for him to speak.

A slow, sexy smile cut into Pepper's cheeks, as she saw his reaction. A twinkle in her eyes appeared and then they were just sparkling at him full-on. When was the last time he had seen her so happy? He couldn't remember. Had she ever looked that happy to him? No. If she had, he would be able to remember it. In her hand, he noticed now, she was holding a small piece of paper that looked a bit like a Polaroid picture. Tony didn't have to think hard to know what it was. The recording had stopped playing, but he could still hear the pulse of the baby's heart in his ears. He would never forget that sound. _Whoom, whoom, whoom._ It was the most wonderful, comforting sound he'd ever heard.

"This is for you," Pepper said, as she opened Tony's hand and put the picture into his palm, while he seemed unable to move a muscle. "Happy birthday, daddy!" Her voice, which was barely above a whisper, cracked, and she felt her own eyes well up with tears.

Tony slowly, as if he was afraid to look at it, turned the picture in his hands to see its front. Clutching the ultrasound photo, he stared at it. He saw a perfect little bean. How could he know it was perfect when it was just small fetus? Well, they didn't make imperfect babies. They made beautiful babies—proof of that was right next door—and that one right there was yet another one of these magical beings they created. Tony couldn't describe the emotion he felt looking at the first sonogram of their second child. _Been there, done that,_ he had thought. He'd been so sure that after knowing what it felt like to become a dad, after having Morgan, he would be ready for this kind of emotional rollercoaster ride. But boy, had he been wrong. He felt everything all over again.

"You ever gonna talk to me again?" Pepper let out a low chuckle and cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing away a tear.

"You really are pregnant?" His voice was weak from crying, but Tony had never felt more alive.

Pepper laid her hands on her belly and smiled at him through tears, as she nodded. "I just... I was... When I went to see my doctor to confirm it, I was already seven weeks along." She looked at her hands, feeling their child growing there. "I didn't wanna tell you anything until I was sure everything was okay, 'cause I was afraid I could..."

Tony put his hands on hers, looking up into her eyes. No one knew, but they had almost lost Morgan. The first few months of her pregnancy, they had literally gone through hell, not even knowing if their beautiful baby was going to make it. There had been complications, but they had never given up hope. And when their daughter was born, Pepper's labor had been so fast that there was no doubt at all that their baby had a strong will to live. Ever since then, however, the fear of having to go through a risky pregnancy again had been omnipresent in the back of their minds.

"This is a miracle!" Tony whispered, rubbing his thumbs across the back of her hands. He smiled and sniffed away a tear, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "It'll be okay this time, Pep... We'll be okay."

"The baby looks perfectly healthy," Pepper spoke softly. "No sign of any—"

"See?" He chuckled out some relief. "No need to worry." In this moment, he would've promised her anything just to put her mind at ease, but it was better to make her promise he really believed in. "This time, you'll be able to enjoy it to the fullest."

"Is that a promise?"

"It's a fact," Tony replied. With two quick twists of his fists, he rubbed the last of his tears from his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he then said, "When we got married, I promised I'll always take care of you and I'm determined to keep that promise. I won't let anything happen to you or our baby, Pepper. Including the one that's already driving us crazy."

She laughed. "Speaking of crazy... Can you imagine how excited our daughter will be when you tell her?"

"Tell her what?" Tony frowned.

"That she's gonna be a big sister."

"I thought you would..." He sighed. "Honey, I can't talk to our daughter about sex. I don't even want her to know what it is. I have _nightmares_ thinking of the day she's gonna... indulge in sexual activity." Tony shuddered at the thought. "Can't we just let her believe in—"

"If you want her to believe that the Stork delivers newborn babies, you can do that... which, by the way, I'd be happy to support... I'm just not going to be the one who tells her." She smirked at him. "And I'm not even sure she's gonna buy that."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Tony mumbled. Their daughter was a really smart child, a smartass on some days even, and he wasn't one hundred percent convinced—only, like, twelve percent—that she would believe in the idea of the Stork. He was doomed, a goner.

Pepper noticed his dark expression, knew that he was already dreading the moment, and couldn't help but giggle. He looked up at her and it only made her giggle more. "I'm sorry, Tony. I'm really sorry."

"No, you're not," he remarked with a little smirk on his face, and she started to laugh loudly.

"No, I'm not," Pepper said, laughing, as she leaned forward. Tony's face pressed into her cleavage, teasing him, but she drew back too fast for him to snuggle against it.

His gaze met hers and they stared at each other for a while, as silence settled between them. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was more like the companionable silence of two people who do not speak because there is no need to say anything. It was a feeling they both shared; a feeling so strong that it sufficed without words. And this thing happened a lot between them. It always had. There simply was no need to speak, and they both clearly understood that just by looking at each other. And it was one of these moments were they broke out into a big smile before one of them decided—usually it was Tony—to break the silence.

Quietly speaking, Tony asked her, "Is it a boy?"

"I don't know," she said, smiling. "You know it's too early to tell."

"Yeah..." Tony ran his hand over her flat belly and bent over to press his lips to her stomach, right where his hand had been. Pepper sighed. It ended on a tiny moan.

"Do you _want_ it to be a boy?" She asked curiously, combing his hair with her fingers.

He lifted his head, looking into her eyes, as he thought for a moment before he gave her an answer. "I think, I do," Tony admitted quietly with a shy smile on his face. She smiled back at him. "But, y'know, another girl is fine, too. I just want our baby to be healthy."

Pepper cupped his cheek with one hand, smoothing her thumb under his eye to wick away the moisture, his skin so soft. Seeing him be so emotional had taken a bit getting used to, but it only made her love him more. Since he became a dad, Tony had learned to deal with his emotions and not shy away from them. He cried when he felt like it and talked about his worries and darkest fears. Sometimes he may need a little push, but she didn't have to worry anymore that he would keep anything from her. He was completely open and honest about his feelings now.

"I love you." His voice was soft and sweet, a little raspy. It didn't crack, but she could tell he was fighting back tears. "I love you so much."

Pepper looked at the giant ball of mush in front of her, overwhelmed by the love she saw in his beautiful, big brown eyes, and a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye. "I love you too," she breathed softly. "And I'm so happy you are mine."

Tony smiled like the rise of the sun. "I'm so happy you are mine, too," he told her, and they both chuckled, as they realized how cheesy they were. It wasn't like they cared, though. All that mattered to them was the fact they were together, as husband and wife, and would always be together. Nothing could ever change that. He kissed her then, wrapping his arms around Pepper's neck gently and pulling her head down to take her lips, and joy seemed to swirl and dance about them.

Pepper was rocked with emotion. A surge of desire flooded her senses like a burst dam. Every fiber of her being screamed out for him to take her. She needed to feel him. Inside. "Make love to me," she whispered, closing her eyes, and her voice was layer of layer of raw aching sexual tension, waiting to be released.

"I always make love to you," Tony countered, smirking a little.

Normally, she would have laughed at his words, but she was now so consumed by her desire, blazing with passion, she simply couldn't. "Please," Pepper uttered—it was only a breath—and rolled her hips into his touch in desperate need, hoping to spark a reaction from him. It seemed that her body had developed a mind of his own.

Tony watched, amusement showing on his face, as she pushed against him. Just a few hours ago, he had been the one desperately trying to be alone with her. Not solely for the reason to have sex with her, though that was part of it, but he had been craving it. And now, funnily enough, Pepper was the one, who obviously couldn't think of anything else but being with him anymore. Being with him in that way where he was balls deep inside her—which clearly was the best way to be with him. Seeing that ardent desire so visibly on her face, Tony felt little muscles tighten around his reproductive organs until eventually, he was rock-hard.

Pepper fell into his lap and moved her hips rhythmically. Hands low on her waist, as she shifted her weight, grinding slowly against him in all the right places, Tony swallowed hard. He rocked his pelvis under hers and she moaned breathily in his ear at the sheer pleasure of feeling the thickness of his erection heavy between her legs. Pepper sealed her mouth to his. His arms wrapped around her body in a flash, Tony's hands curving around her bottom and bringing her closer. He dropped nipping kisses along her collarbone, then his lips trailed lower into the V of her cleavage.

"I should get out of these pants," he said against her skin.

She moaned, as if she wanted to say that she agreed with him, and he chuckled, noticing she had lost the ability to speak, at least in this very moment. Tony leaned back, taking her with him, and tried to wiggle out of his pants without moving too much, while his lips glued to hers. He sat back up, his boxers still around his thighs, as he lifted her as if she weighed no more than a newborn kitten. Tony let her weight sink her down, allowing the tip of his cock inside her, stretching her. Her breath hitched in a gasp when its smooth length slipped into the deepest recesses or her body, filling her up completely.

"Tony..."

Pepper bit her lip with a barely suppressed moan and took his face into her hands so she could look straight into his eyes. Tony was driving up into her and she was grinding down on him, and he played on every quivering nerve fiber as he would play his grand piano, with wild passion and pure devotion; like making love to Pepper Potts-Stark was the best thing to happen in the music industry since Beethoven's symphony no. 9. His movements were slow and yet with such force that Pepper felt each thrust deeper than the one before.

"You... love... that?" Tony got out, each word punctuated with another thrust. His gaze was fastened to her body, his eyes staring back at her, while he cupped Pepper's buttocks, strong hands kneading each as if she were dough he shaped.

"God, you're so good at this," she managed to form a whole sentence. Then she threw her head back and held on for the ride, as Tony picked up speed.

"I'm just getting started, honey," he replied, turning the next groan into a low chuckle.

Next thing she knew, she was laying on her back, feeling the softness of the mattress beneath her and the weight of him on top of her. Tony's hands cupped her breasts and she buckled against them, her nipples hardening against his palms. His mouth captured her upper lip and pulled softly before moving to her lower lip to do the same. Pepper bit back a moan, but when he closed his lips around one pouting nipple and then the other she couldn't help making a sound. Every ounce of him was involved in the effort to make love to her, and she could feel that. She felt it every time. No other man had ever touched her like he did.

Tony let his tongue glide over the tip while his hand rolled her other nipple between his fingers, and he couldn't stop a groan of his own as her hips rocked against his. He felt himself burning hotter with each second, each rub of her hips. His teeth took delicate hold of Pepper's nipple and gave a small tug. She moaned out loud and arched her back, pressing her breasts more firmly against him. The heat and sound of his breath stirred a deep ache in her core. She scored her nails on his scalp, feeling like she would come at this very moment if he didn't stop what he was doing.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, and he met her gaze with love and passion. His hand moved to the side of her face, stroking her cheek, and he wore a smile so beautifully, Pepper wished she could frame it and hang it on a wall for everyone to see. She put her hands around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers. She smiled uncontrollably, almost giggled. She would never get tired of looking at his face; of Tony's face being the last thing she saw when she went to bed and the first thing when she woke up. She knew every line, every crinkle around his eyes and the small cleft in his chin covered by his soft facial hair. It was a face that had written love all over it—love for her, love for her daughter and love for that baby she carried. Tony was full of love.

"Take me," she breathed against his lips. "Take what's yours, Tony." She gasped when he plunged into her, not having expected him to react instantly to her demand. "Yes," Pepper moaned, "right like that."

Digging her fingers into his back, she let out another soft moan. Tony silenced it with a deep kiss. Pepper tasted him, savored the intimacy of their kiss, her body coming to life underneath his. With every hot stroke, with each burning thrust, Tony's body declared his love. He was sure he had bruises where her fingers had dug into his flesh. And he had never felt better. He felt her fingers ran down his back until she held a rounded buttock in each hand. Caressing the supple flesh, Pepper guided his movements, and it seemed that with every move, she wanted to feel him deeper inside. Her eagerness sent Tony's lust into overdrive, yet he managed to keep their sex an act of love-making, not mindless fucking.

He wanted to take his time with her, wanted her to enjoy herself for as long as possible before she lost every bit of control. And he knew exactly how to do this, because he had years of experience of making love to this woman. He watched her, watched her whole body react to the thrusting of his hips. Each time her muscles clamped down and sensations tore through his body, the pleasure burst through him. Tony released a low growl, as he drove himself into her, riding her, claiming her, like she had wanted him to. Her nails dug deep into his skin, as she gripped his ass even tighter, and it dawned on him that he might be on top, but she was in control.

Pepper bit her lower lip right before another cry escaped her throat and then she opened her eyes to look at him, and it was like he could feel the heat of the fire burning inside her. It filled him with pride. That he could make her ride a high like this gave him immense satisfaction. He had never felt anything like that before. The way his heart swelled with love upon the feeling of being inside her didn't compare to anything he had ever experienced in his life. And this feeling never stopped. Every time they made love, he was completely overwhelmed by the intensity of it all. Their sexual embrace was the embodiment of real unity between two people. He was certain of that.

Leaning into her neck, he whispered roughly, "Stay with me, baby."

"I... can't," she gasped, her body rocking with each thrust.

"Just a lil' more," he said.

Her eyes were closed in senseless delight. Her lips parted and opened in shallow breaths as she reveled in the tormenting and exquisitely slow moving of Tony's hips. The passion on her face was beautiful to watch. He couldn't stop staring at her. Tony almost pulled out of her, only to push in again. Pepper called out his name, like a personal prayer—or a curse; he wasn't sure—unaware of her nails raking down his back. Her reaction was so hot, such a turn-on, that he tried to do it again, to pull out of her completely this time, but she wouldn't let him. Her hands cupped against his butt to keep him in place and Tony found that Pepper wanting to be in control was just as sexy. Suddenly, he was feeling like the one who was burned by sensations of pleasurable pain.

He made a deep noise in his throat, grunting in the hollow of her neck, "Fuck, Pepper," and nipped at her shoulder with small love bites.

Her body tightened unmercifully around his thick erection. Pepper was barely aware that she was screaming when she came, blood rushing into her ears as wave after wave hit her. Tony thrust once more, shuddering his release, as he filled her with everything he had. Fire shot across his skin as she forced her lips on his, kissing him fiercely, as though she was trying to silence his cries. He collapsed over her, breathing roughly. She lay under him, limp, her breathing ragged. Minutes passed without a word being spoken. Then, rolling slowly, Tony pulled away from the heated moisture of her body. He brought her with him into the cradle of his arms. Brushing damp tendrils of her hair away from her face, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'm telling you, honey... You being in control... It's my kink. You should bring handcuffs next time."

Pepper laughed. "I can't believe you wasted this... romantic moment... on that."

She looked at him and he arched an eyebrow at her. "Would you mind?"

"Are you actually... into... that?" she asked, slightly confused.

They had joked about this before, many times, but she'd never really believed that he was serious about it. Come to think of it, though, why was she even surprised to find out that he was? This type of sex game did sound like something Tony Stark would be very much into. And she was obviously very much into him, so the thought of going there with him, made her involuntarily smirk.

"Would. You. Mind?" Tony repeated his question curiously, emphasizing every word of it.

Pepper's smirk grew wider. "One condition," she said.

"That being?"

"We _both_ get a shot."

Tony's eyebrow scrolled up higher, incredulous at the bent of the conversation. "You'd let me handcuff you to the bed?"

Pepper raised her own brows, not saying a word but letting her eyes do the talking. Tony flinched. He'd figured she might like it, or maybe only hoped she would, but to know she was one hundred percent on board with this was definitely a surprise. Even better. She not only wanted to be in control, she wanted _him_ to be. She wanted him to have his way with her, and sure, he had had his way with her while having sex—flashback earlier—but this was different. Pepper would be completely and utterly at his mercy, and God, he would love that. Just the thought of it sparked a reaction in his groin.

"Pepper Potts, you naughty little girl," Tony purred, his gaze glued to her body. When he raised his eyes to meet hers, she was grinning like crazy. "You know, this is clearly the best birthday ever."

"Oh, I'm sure it is," she said with a chuckle.

"Now back to that romantic moment..."

Tony's arm came around her, holding her close. As she leaned against him, her head tucked into his shoulder, she felt the soft pressure of his lips on her hair. Pepper sighed and closed her eyes. His hand brushed her cheek, trailing down, and then it went still on her pregnant tummy. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the words still visible on her moist skin and spread his fingers as if to encompass all that lay beneath the surface. Suddenly he moved, and she was about to protest but then opened her eyes and saw him with his head above her stomach. He whispered something—she couldn't understand it—and kissed her lower belly. With a huge smile upon his face, Tony came back to lie next to her and she gazed at him, waiting for him to speak. He didn't. She waited. But waiting didn't seem to get her anywhere, because he didn't say anything.

He had a soft-edged look, sweet, yet emotional, as if he were recalling a pleasant memory or, and that seemed more likely, imagining ways to make new ones. When she grazed the nape of his neck with her nails, he shivered. Pepper tightened her hold around his waist and nuzzled her face against his, inhaling his rich scent. A smile graced her lips, as she snuggled even closer. She felt so warm and content in his arms that she didn't ever want to leave. A small tear welled up in the corner of her eye and slowly rolled down her cheek. She could only hope that she made Tony as happy as he made her.

"What did you say?" Pepper finally asked, whispering.

Tony turned his head and when their gazes met, he smiled happily, brown eyes filling with joyful shining tears. "I can't wait to meet you, too," he answered, and his voice took on a dreamy, faraway tone.


	5. Seeds and Eggs

_**A/N:** Tony and Pepper tell Morgan where the babies come from._

* * *

Tony was woken up by a light punch against his chin. When he opened his eyes to survey his surroundings, he realized, it wasn't a punch. It was a kick. Morgan had snuck into their bed, early in the morning, he guessed, and was now laying with her head at the foot of the bed and her feet at the head of it. Curled up in a ball with no blanket, she snored lightly, kept warm by her pajamas patterned with Disney princesses. Her soft cap of hair was ruffled in complete ridiculous cowlicks and her long dark eyelashes rested on her perfect peach-like cheeks, fluttering to dreams.

Tony smiled, as he felt a surge of love well up within him. He planted a kiss on the sole of each soft foot and closed his eyes, savoring her taste and her smell. His precious baby Morgan... She would always make him feel like the luckiest man on earth. And with baby number two on the way now, he could only imagine how much deeper his love as a father would go. Being a dad still felt like a dream, even if he was living that dream every day—all thanks to the woman next to him. He loved her so much; Pepper was his life, his love, his everything; everything that he was and everything that he would be.

As Tony looked at her, his smile grew, seeing she was already awake. "There's a stowaway in our bed."

"I noticed," Pepper replied, smiling back at him. She grabbed Morgan's right foot and gave it a little shake, then held it out to Tony. "You look hungry. Want a bite?"

Tony smirked, glancing at his child's small figure. "I'd love to," he said, looking at Pepper again. "Bet it tastes real sweet."

"Oh, I'm sure it does," she answered with a grin. "So, whatchu waiting for? Go ahead!"

A gurgle of laughter rang out in the silence, coming from the foot of the bed. They both smirked, and then Tony pulled his daughter's foot to his mouth and started nibbling gently on her big toe.

"It tastes like candy," he remarked, as he nibbled on another toe. "So sweet! You wanna try, hon?"

The gurgle became a giggle, and the giggle became a laugh. The laugh became a hysterical peal of laughter, and then she was kicking her leg, trying to get him off. It was like a goldfish fighting off a tiger shark. And it looked so adorable—the way she was writhing, laughing so hard that tears flowed down her cheeks—Tony had to let her foot go, simply because of the fact his mouth was full of laughter. It was full and deep and delightful. By the time he had calmed down, Morgan was sitting on his stomach, like a lump of lead, straddling his wide frame, her eyes watching him.

It was a picture of domestic bliss—the only real happiness, he thought—and he had found it.

Tony placed his hands on her hips, holding her at her waist, and smiled with half of his mouth. "What are we doing today, baby?"

"Why you eat my foot, daddy?" She asked that question, as if she were really serious about it and Pepper couldn't help but laugh. Her face turned to her mother immediately. "Does he eat you too, mommy?"

Tony pressed his lips together in an attempt not to laugh, but out exited a snort of a giggle. He coughed and gazed at Pepper, wondering how she could've laughed earlier but now stayed so cool. When she looked back at him, her grin was so wide he thought it might split her face.

"All the time, sweetie," Pepper said, leering at Tony. "Your father is a very... very... hungry man."

Tony's jaw dropped comically as he gaped at her before dissolving in a fit of laughter. "I just can't get enough," he laughed, moving to peck Pepper's cheek. The look on his daughter's face almost made him laugh harder. "You're still my favorite thing to eat, though," he told her, leaning forward, tickling her skin with his whiskers, as he showered her face with kisses.

Morgan laughed heartily, her small fingers wrapping around his cheeks so she could hold him back. "Stop," she howled, but Tony tickled her belly, and the sides of her body.

She tried crawling off of him, right into the save arms of her mother, but her father's grip was too tight, and so Tony continued his assault on her, tickling the little girl into a frenzy of laughter until it sounded like she would suffocate from it. He stopped then, and just looked at her in silence, as she came down from her high. Morgan was still laughing, but the longer he gazed at her the more she quieted down, and when all of her giggles had left her, she finally hopped off of him and fell into Pepper's arms. Pepper cradled her against her chest, both eyeing the man next to them.

Tony chuckled and reached out to trace a finger slowly down Morgan's cheek. "I love you, baby. I love you both so much." He snuggled up against his wife, pillowing his head on her shoulder, while his hand rested on Morgan's leg. "You two make daddy the happiest he's ever been," he whispered. "You three."

Morgan's face crinkled in confusion. "Why three?" she asked, and Tony face-palmed himself.

Pepper's body shook with laughter, as she let out, "Now, _this_ will be interesting!" She looked at him with her eyebrows arched innocently. "Why three, Tony?"

Morgan kicked him lightly against his torso. "Tell us, daddy!"

"Ouch." Tony scratched the back of his head, frowning, then ruffled his hair. He didn't even know where to begin, but there was no going back now. He knew his daughter and he knew she wouldn't rest until he had explained it to her. When he looked at Morgan, he could see her just bursting with curiosity.

"So... there's... I mean, your mama, she's..." Tony sighed. "Do you have any idea where babies come from?"

"I'm not sure," she said, wrinkling her forehead. "Peter told me that the Stork brings the babies, but—"

"W–Wait, what? You talked to Peter about _sex_?" he exclaimed in shock, Tony's loose tongue rolling around his mouth as the words tumbled clumsily out.

"What is that?" Morgan giggled. She had never heard the word, but it definitely sounded funny.

Tony turned his gaze away from his child and stared at his wife. Pepper was grinning like crazy. "Go on," she encouraged him, "It's so much fun watching you dig your own grave." She laughed, bumping his shoulder, and he groaned in response.

"Well, sex is... is, uh... It's a kind of cuddling grown-ups do to show how much they love each other," Tony explained to her, hoping she would be satisfied with his answer. "And, you know, sometimes a man and a woman can make a baby when they have sex." It really didn't feel right to let her know all this, given how young she still was, but he'd rather she heard it from him than someone else.

Her wide eyes glued to his face, Morgan waited eagerly for more. When she realized he wasn't going to say more, she looked at him, as if he had told her a fairy tale with no happy ending. "Can you show me how you make a baby?"

Pepper laughed at the expression on Tony's face. Of course it wasn't much of a leap for their inquisitive four-year-old to want to see a real-life demonstration, but neither one of them had expected her to ask that question. "No, sweetie, we can't," she told her kid.

"Why not?" Morgan let her lip pout to astronomical proportions.

"Adults make babies during private time together alone. You know, like your father said, sometimes we... like to cuddle to show each other how much we love each other. That's how we made you," Pepper said, smiling. "But it was during special alone-time for us."

The toddler harrumphed loudly, expelling air and disgruntlement, clearly disapproving of her mother's response—and just when her parents thought disappointment was making her sulky enough to not want to continue having this conversation, Morgan opened her mouth again, asking "But how are babies made when you cuddle?"

Tony sighed internally, knowing his child would never stop asking until he had put every card on the table, so there were no questions left for her to ask. "Well, it's... It's..."

"An amazing thing," Pepper remarked.

"Right. Yes. It's definitely amazing."

"But how?" Morgan bounced a little on the mattress like an eager child on Christmas Eve. "I wanna know, daddy. Tell me... Tell meeee!"

Tony groaned, as Morgan's feet struck him again in the abdominal area. "Morgan Maria Stark, stop kicking me, alright? That hurts! And I won't tell you anything, if you keep doing that," he scolded his child. But as soon as he saw the sweet, sad-eyed look on her face his hard expression softened. "Hey, it's okay," Tony murmured, gently touching her cheek.

"I'm sorry, daddy," she apologized, her eyes fixated on the sheets. "I just wanna know." Hesitantly, she met his gaze, afraid to see real anger in Tony's eyes.

"I know you do, baby," Tony said, smiling sweetly at her. His thumb grazed her cheek, stroking lightly down to her jaw. "But you gotta be patient with me, because this... It's not, uh, something daddies like to talk to their kids about." He bent forward to kiss the spot his thumb had been touching. "I just..." He sighed deeply. "Having this talk with you means you're growing up and I don't want you to grow up." He kissed her again, on the temple this time. "I just wish you could stay my little girl forever."

Morgan crawled closer, nestling in the spot between her parents. She snuggled up to her mother, eyes on her father, and smiled. "Forever is a long time," she said with a chuckle.

"It is," Tony replied, "but when it comes to you, it's not even long enough." He kissed her cheek again, making her giggle, and glanced quickly at Pepper, who looked like she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. She always melted watching the sweet bond between father and daughter.

"You know, Morgan," Pepper began to speak—if she didn't, she might start crying. "Your daddy and I... made a baby. I mean another one. We love each other very much and so we..."

"Cuddle a lot," Tony butted in.

"Yeah..." Pepper smiled. "And the way we did that... Well, you see, daddies have seeds and mommies have eggs, and when we have..."

"Sex?" Morgan interrupted her, and Tony flinched at hearing the word come out of his child's mouth—his sweet, _innocent_ child. But Pepper seemed unfazed. She just stroked their daughter's head lovingly and even looked proud at how grown up their baby already seemed to be.

"When we have... When we had sex a few weeks ago... a seed from daddy and an egg from me joined together in my tummy. And that's where our baby grows." She put one hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently. "Right here... In a special sack, called the womb." Pepper drew in a shaky breath, smiling widely as tears brimmed against her eyes.

Morgan furrowed her brow. "Do you mean an egg like the ones we buy at the market? Where does daddy keep his seeds?" she asked, looking at her father. "Do you have to water them?"

Tony laughed loudly. God, she was adorable! "No, honey, I don't have to water them, because they are... special seeds," he said, chuckling. "And mommy's got special eggs. That's the amazing part about it... Making a baby is very, very special. And some people aren't that lucky to make one, because unfortunately their seeds or eggs aren't... special. But that doesn't mean those people are worth less, you understand? It's just life. And sometimes bad things happen to good people... like good people not getting to have babies. And, you know, it's really sad when you want to have a baby, but you can't make one, so your mama and I are extremely happy that we get to have _two_ wonderful babies." Tony cracked a bewitching smile, looking at Pepper. "We're lucky!"

Morgan's eyes went straight to her mother's belly. She reached out a hand and touched it, and the tender gesture made a shiver ripple across Pepper's body. "Can the baby see or hear anything when she's in your tummy?" the child asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "Is he hungry? Does he sleep inside your tummy?" The words rushed from her mouth, curiosity overwhelming her. "What does he look like now? Is he lonely in there?" Morgan stared at Pepper with wide eyes. "Why doesn't the baby fall out when you pee?"

Her parents both laughed, looking at each other with a grin. "Those are a lot of questions, sweetie," Pepper said, smiling at her. "But you're allowed to ask anything you want."

"Uh, we'll see about that," Tony remarked, fearing he would have to answer questions he felt even more uncomfortable about.

Pepper thought for a moment, trying to remember her daughter's words, and then she spoke. "Well, the baby is still very small, but you can talk to it, if you want." Pepper smiled. "I'm sure it would love to hear your voice... Get to know its big sister. Just don't say any bad words, okay?"

Morgan chuckled and looked at her father, who instantly felt accused of something. "Hey, why you looking at me, kid?" Tony complained, but had to laugh at her stupid grin. He ruffled her hair; she tried to slap his hand away, giggling.

"You wanted to know, if the baby is hungry or lonely, right?" Pepper asked and Morgan nodded before she buried her face into Pepper's side, trying to get out of Tony's reach.

"It's not lonely in there," Tony chose to answer that question. "Because your mother and the baby have a strong connection. Kinda like you two have, but it's... When the baby is hungry, Mama can feel it, you know. So she just grabs a bite to eat and the baby is satisfied. Or if it's thirsty, she just has something to drink. Your mom is basically a superhero. She can feel _anything_ that baby feels. She knows what it wants and needs, even though the baby can't talk yet. And the baby never has to be lonely because it can feel that Mommy is there, taking care of it." Tony looked at Pepper, his eyes full of love and admiration. "And you two have the best mommy in the world... and that's why Daddy loves her more than anything."

Morgan saw the way her father was looking at her mother. She had seen grown-ups look at each other with love, but she had never seen a look as deep and devoted as his. She was really happy to have parents who loved each other so very much, because some of her friends sadly weren't that lucky. They grew up in separated homes, with parents who acted like they hated each other. It had always made her feel uneasy, because deep down she had feared it could happen to her, too. She knew now that it never would. She was safe in this home. She was safe in these arms. She always would be.

 _I love you_ , Pepper mouthed silently.

Tony kissed the side of her face. "I love you most," he whispered, smiling against her skin, as he breathed in her scent. Then he leaned back and looked at his daughter. "You remember what your mother told you about the special sack? The womb where the baby's living in?" Morgan nodded. "That's why it doesn't fall out when mommy pees. Think of it as being locked up inside home. It can't get out. But, um... It's not scared or anything, alright? It likes living in mommy's tummy, because it feels safe in there, safer than it would feel outside here right now. It has to grow up first before it can take on the world, like you did."

"I was in mommy's tummy too?" she asked, thinking she already knew the answer to that one.

"Yes, you were, baby," Pepper replied, smiling.

Morgan felt proud that she guessed it right. She understood now, most of it at least. "How is the new baby going to get out of your tummy?" That was something she still didn't understand. "Daddy said it can't get out... It's locked up."

Tony chuckled. "That's right, but, you know, at some point the baby will be too big to fit inside anymore, and need more food than it can get from mommy's tummy. So then it's ready to be born and the, um… the doors will, uh... magically open."

Pepper had to laugh, as she saw the confused look on Morgan's face. Clearly, her daughter couldn't make sense of her father's words. "Remember when we talked about men having a penis and women having a vagina?"

"Oh God," Tony groaned, his body shuddering at the memory. "Please don't remind me."

"I wasn't talking to you, honey," Pepper chuckled, gazing at her daughter. "So, you remember?"

"Yes," Morgan answered, as she put a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle.

"Okay, so when the baby is big and strong enough, strong muscles in my tummy will push it down my vagina, and out from between my legs," she explained to her. "It will take a few hours, and I'll go to the hospital so the doctors can help the baby come out and give it a checkup right away. And when that happens, I might be in a lot of pain and yelling and screaming at your dad," Pepper glanced at Tony, smirking, "but you don't have to worry then, darling. Everything will be fine, I promise."

"Grandma will look after you for two or three days, then Mommy and the new baby will come home and we'll all be together," Tony said, smiling. "We have to wait a few more months, but I'm already so excited to meet your brother or sister. I'm really, really happy." He trailed his hand down to Pepper's stomach, lifting her shirt a little so he could touch her bare skin. Then nuzzling his child's hair, he murmured, "How do you feel about this, sugar bug? Is it okay for you to share us with the new baby? Are you happy? I want you to be happy."

Morgan, still snuggled up against her mom, watched silently as her father caressed her mother's belly. She knew it would grow bigger, but wondered if it hurt when it did. She didn't ask, though, and instead thought about her father's words. Was she happy? No, excited. She was really excited, not just happy. Sharing her parents with someone else would be something she would have to get used to, but she loved babies. And she loved the thought of having one in the family that she could call her sister or her brother. She already had so many ideas of what she could teach her sibling; what she could show him or her. There was so much they could do on the farm.

"I'm happy," she said, smiling at her father, and he breathed a deep sigh of relief. The little girl crawled back to where she had sat earlier and pulled Tony's hand away from Pepper's stomach, making room to lay her head down there.

Pepper's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "What are you doing, baby?" she asked, gazing at Tony, who, too, had tears in his eyes.

"I'm trying to hear something," Morgan answered. "But I can't. It's quiet."

"You wanna hear something? Like what, the heartbeat?" Pepper ran a hand through Morgan's hair, playing with her soft curls.

"I don't hear anything," she said. "Is the baby okay, mommy?" She kept her head on Pepper's stomach, but her eyes looked up at her mother, darkened with worry.

"The baby is fine, sweetie. I can feel it." Running a finger over Morgan's cheek, Pepper smiled reassuringly. "You don't have to worry."

Tony let his head fall back against Pepper's shoulder. Then he started grinning foolishly. "You wanna hear the baby's heartbeat? Why don't you ask F.R.I.D.A.Y? She might be able to help you with that."

"But how?" Morgan frowned lifting her head.

"Just ask," Tony said.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y?" the child addressed the AI. "Can I hear the heartbeat?"

"Of course, I will play it for you right away, Princess Morgan."

Morgan giggled. She had explicitly told her father that she wanted the AI to call her a princess, but she still wasn't used to the whole concept. It was fun having F.R.I.D.A.Y around, but sometimes she also didn't like it, because F.R.I.D.A.Y always knew what she was up to. And F.R.I.D.A.Y had already narced on her a few times in the past. Morgan felt like she could hardly do anything her parents didn't want her to do without getting in trouble, because F.R.I.D.A.Y was constantly watching her. But she didn't think that was overall a bad thing. It was good too, because knowing that F.R.I.D.A.Y was always there to look out for her made her feel safe. It made her feel protected. Even if her parents weren't there, she was never alone.

"Do you hear that?" Tony said. "The thumping sound? That's the baby's heartbeat." Morgan's small face lit up with a huge smile. "Do you hear how strong it sounds?" Tony smiled back at her sweetly, a tear slipping out from the corner of his eye. He would never get tired of hearing that sound. "The baby's perfectly healthy, so you don't have to worry about anything, okay?" Opening his arms, he said, "Come here, my sweet little girl," and enveloped her in a tight hug when she fell into his embrace. He kissed her head, not once but multiple times, and sighed. "I'm so happy you were born, you know that? So happy!" Tears ran down his cheek, as he held her.

Pepper watched the two of them hug, unable to keep herself from crying. At least she had an excuse—her hormones. What excuse did he have for being such a sappy little shit?

Turning to reach the bedside table, she grabbed the ultrasound photo she had showed Tony last night and looked at it briefly before turning back to her husband and child. "You asked us what the baby looks like..." she addressed her daughter. "We don't have a clear picture yet, but look at this, Morgie. That's our baby." When Morgan turned to face her, Pepper's smile had reached her eyes—it was sickening how happy she was.

"It looks... funny," she said, chuckling.

"I know, baby, but in a few weeks, we'll be able to see so much more. It's growing every single day."

"Does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt, honey?"

"The baby growing. Your belly..."

"Not really, no." Putting the photo away, Pepper cupped Morgan's cheek with her hand, her thumb stroking it gently. "It feels like... It just makes me happy, you know? To feel the baby growing inside me." She was still smiling when she said the next words, although memories from the past threatened to cut that smile right from her lips. "What would be bad was if I didn't feel anything." From the corner of her eye, she could see Tony swallowing hard, haunted by that same memory.

"What's its name?" Morgan asked.

"Oh, we don't have a name picked out yet, because we don't know if it's a boy or girl." Pepper leaned forward to kiss her daughter's face. "Do you wanna help with that?"

"Yes," Morgan squealed, as she jumped up and down. Since she was still sitting on top of him, Tony felt every one of her bouncing moves. He groaned; Morgan just responded with a soft giggle, crawling off of her father and right into her mother's lap. Pepper locked her daughter safely in her arms, sighing with content.

"So, is there anything else that you want to know about babies, Morgan Stark?" Tony asked her, tickling her small feet. She laughed, kicking a little—her laughter was another sound he would never get tired of hearing.

Morgan wrinkled her forehead, thinking for a brief moment. Then she asked, "Can I have a baby?"

Pepper laughed, as she thought of what was probably going through Tony's head right now and decided to answer for him. He seemed to be at a loss of words anyway. "No, because making babies is something only grown-ups can do. Your body isn't ready yet, but it will be when you're older."

"Can I have a baby when I'm old enough to get my ears pierced?"

Tony's jaw dropped, and he paled in what Pepper could only describe as terror. "Absolutely not," he exclaimed, shaking his head. "And who said anything about... Uh-uh. No one's getting his ears pierced, young lady."

"Uh-huh," Morgan let out in a sarcastic tone. "And why do you have a hole in your ear, daddy?"

Tony's jaw dropped another notch. Wait, was she mocking him? During the flash of her smirk, he caught the smugness behind in her face. Damn right she was. Oh God, he and Pepper had created a monster. A little monster with an adorable face, soft hair, a heart full of love and a sharp mind; a monster so stinking cute that he asked himself every day what he had ever done to deserve her. There would never be a time where he wouldn't thank life for blessing him with this precious little girl; never a time where he would take anything he had for granted. That included Pepper. Just hearing her laugh like that made Tony feel like his heart could jump right out of his chest. Boy, he had really lucked out, hadn't he?

"Well, yeah... you got me. I'm guilty of the crime. So is your mom, by the way. Can we make a deal, though?" Morgan didn't say anything, as she just waited for him to continue. He sniffed; that special little thing he did whenever he was starting to become emotional. "You can get your ears pierced when you turn six, it's actually not that big of a deal, but this baby talk... It's off the table until you're twenty-one... at least!"

"Do you want me to pinky promise?" she asked.

"No, baby, I just want you to stop giving me hell." A nervous chuckle burst from his lips.

"I think Daddy's just freaking out at the idea of you becoming a woman one day," Pepper stated with a grin, as she ran a hand over Morgan's head. The little girl giggled.

"Your mom is right," Tony admitted. "So, what do you say, kid? Do we have a deal?" Morgan nodded. "Great! Now let's go get some food. I'm starving."

"Can we stay here?" His daughter looked into his eyes as if she was begging.

"You wanna stay in bed?"

"Yes," she replied softly. "I wanna cuddle with you and mommy."

"You know, on second thought... I'm actually not that hungry."

Tony lay back down, waited for Pepper and Morgan to do the same, and as soon as they had, he pulled the sheets over them and rolled on his side, one arm circling his daughter's waist. It rested on the small of Pepper's back, so he could hold both of them tight. Pepper's arm wrapped around his middle, and Morgan lay on her side, her face turned to her mother, one arm draped around Pepper's body. The three of them huddled together with their heads only inches apart, as silence settled between them for a few minutes. All the while, Tony's gaze remained focused on Pepper's face, his eyes staring into hers. A ridiculously sexy smile curled his lips, and then he emitted a soft laugh.

"What?" Pepper asked.

"Nothin'... Was just thinking we might have to get a bigger bed soon to fit all four of us in here." The certainty of having another child in just a few months made him so happy that his eyes started to sparkle with joy.

"Less room means we all have to cuddle up closer," Pepper replied, smirking a little.

Tony smirked right back at her. "We have to get a smaller bed then," he said, his hand maneuvering its way across Pepper's head and down her temple. Moving it smoothly further down to her cheek, he cupped her face, his eyes staring at her lips. "Gimme a kiss, Potts," he ordered, his lips quivering, as though they were going to explode should she make him wait another second.

"Come and get it," she answered, laughing softly.

For a brief moment, Tony's mouth crushed down on hers, hard and insistent. Then his mouth softened as he gently parted her lips. Pepper moaned in response to his touch, the seductive sound weaving into his blood and urging more. Tony remembered the kid lying between them and pulled back, while he still had the strength to do so. He licked his lips, looking into Pepper's eyes, counting the shades of blue that watched him back. Her gorgeous smile dominated him as her pupils stared and followed his. She was so beautiful, even without any make-up on, _especially_ without make-up on. He had never seen such natural beauty.

"God, I'm addicted," he let out.

"You are?" Pepper asked, still smiling. "To what?"

"Happiness… My kid… You..." He was dying to kiss her again, to finish what they'd started. "Mostly just you."

She chuckled and ran a finger down his cheek. "Well, do you wanna be cured?" she quipped.

"No," he shot back. "Never. I only want more. More of this... More of you. Let's make more babies."

"Honey..." She laughed. "Can we wait for this one first," she cupped her belly, "and see how we handle two before—"

"Five, okay? Five babies... Five is our lucky number, Pep. C'mon."

"Since when is five—"

"Since you asked me what my social security number was when we had our first dance." Pepper smiled at the memory, her heart feeling warmth she couldn't described. "I see you remember," Tony noticed the look on her face.

"Am I allowed to think about it?"

"Yes."

"Thank you," she said.

"Oh, look who's fallen back to sleep," he nodded towards their daughter and leaned down to give her a kiss. He ran a hand through her hair and turned back to Pepper. "So, have you thought about it?"

She shook her head, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Three."

"Five," he countered.

"Three."

"Alright, alright... Four," he said. "Five by accident."

"Tony, I'm the one who has to carry and give birth to them," she argued, but had to giggle.

"And I'm the one being in the throes of delivery room anxiety every time you give birth, so I think that makes us even."

"God, you're terrible!" He was driving her nuts. But, admittedly, that was one of the things she loved about him. She loved how much of a pain in the ass he could be every now and then, because life with him was just never boring. Besides, he still managed to be adorable, even if she wanted to wring his neck. "Can't we just enjoy ourselves? And if something happens then we—"

"Let it happen? Yes... Sure. We can totally do that," Tony mumbled. "I'm all for casual sex. No strings, just fun. Starting right now or...?"

She stared at him, long and deeply, and then very nearly dissolved into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. He took note of that, grinning, as he wiggled his eyebrows comically and tipped his head in a playful manner. His chocolate brown eyes danced with amusement when she buried her face in the pillow and groaned in frustration. Little-girl laughter tinkled from Tony's throat, as he lowered his head next to hers, his mouth so close to her ear that she could feel the warmth of his breath caressing the sensitive area inside her auricle.

"It sucks that I'm so goddamn irresistible, doesn't it?" Tony whispered, as he kissed the soft spot just below her ear.

"You're a jerk… That's what you are," she groaned into the pillowcase, turning her face to the side to look him in the eye. He was grinning like an idiot. Pepper laughed involuntarily, knowing that, unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.

She had spent decades fighting the urge to jump his bones, years resisting his sexual advances, but ever since he was hers completely, ever since they had gotten married, she could hardly resist anything he did to get inside her defenses. The sheer force of his sex appeal was enough to send shivers down her spine and shorten her breath. She could never stop her mind from translating all that raw masculinity into hot sexual fantasy; not when he talked like that with his low words rasping across her skin. She knew it worked both ways, though. The power of her sex appeal was just as alluring to him as his was to her.

Tony laughed. She looked so sweet with that sulky expression around her mouth. "How about I make us some breakfast?" he suggested, smiling. He eased a corkscrew curl off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

Pepper caught his hand, holding it against the side of her face. Then she nestled her cheek into his palm and sighed, closing her eyes. "You know I'd have all your babies..."

Tony watched the flush climb into her cheeks. "I know," he said softly. "And I hope _you_ know, I'm happy with the babies we already have." His mouth blossomed into a smile. "I couldn't _be_ happier."

"You don't miss it at all?" Pepper asked, slowly opening her eyes. "Being Iron Man?"

"What do you mean?" He chuckled. "I still am Iron Man. No one can take that away from me." Then he paused, his gaze shifting to the small figure nestled between their bodies. He stroked Morgan's head, feeling the familiar warmth in his heart as he watched her sleep. "Besides," he continued, looking up again. "This right here… becoming a father… is the most heroic thing I've ever done." He kept smiling. "And honey... being a dad is so... _so_ much better than being a superhero."


	6. It's Christmas Time

_**A/N:** Written for the Pepperony Gift Exchange. Christmas in the Potts-Stark household is full of surprises._

* * *

Pepper stood in the living room and looked out through the glass patio door. It had been heavily snowing for days on end. All airports were closed down for safety reasons and they were stuck out here, in upstate New York, in their own little Winter Wonderland. Not that they cared, though. They hadn't made any plans to be anywhere else anyway.

She had lived in California for so long that she had almost forgotten what a white Christmas felt like, but watching her daughter play in the snow, as she built a snowman with her father, reminded Pepper of all those snowy Christmases she'd spent in Brooklyn with her family. She missed her mom—she was stuck somewhere in Europe—but she was happy to have the two most important people in her life with her.

Pepper pulled a woolen jumper over her head and down her body to get comfortably warm. She let her hair fall naturally around her shoulders, and a smile curved her mouth as she cupped her very round, very pregnant belly. Eight months, one more to go. She really couldn't wait anymore to meet the small being that was residing inside her womb. At least she knew if the baby was a boy or girl. Unlike Tony, who was still completely unaware of what they were expecting. He had insisted she keep it a secret.

She put on her boots and gloves, wrapped her scarf around her face, then grabbed her favorite winter coat. Bracing herself against the cold, she stepped outside, closing the door behind her. Wind swept the porch, its bite as sharp as needles. Shivering, Pepper pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and tucked it under the collar of her coat. She was feeling tired, exhausted, and she felt as fat as a cow elephant. But just seeing Tony's warm smile, as he noticed her, made all of that go away. She was so happy.

"Morgan, look! Mommy came out to play," he said, twisting a jumbo-size snowball in his hand.

"If you throw that, it means war," Pepper issued a warning, grinning at him.

"Honey, you can't even bend down low enough to pick up snow," Tony quipped, giggling, "You're too—"

"Fat?"

"Pregnant."

He smirked and threw the snowball; she gave a yelp as it landed in the center of her chest. Face alight with laughter, Tony hurried towards her and embraced her in a hug, making it impossible for Pepper to counter-attack. Her parents' banter made Morgan giggle. She started running to them and hugged both their legs.

"You're not fat," Tony mumbled into Pepper's hair. He brushed his lips across her temple and kissed her there. "You're beautiful." Feeling Morgan's touch, he added, "Doesn't your mama look beautiful, Morgie?"

"Mommy is the prettiest woman in the world," Morgan said, and Tony chuckled softly.

"That she is," he concurred, as he pulled back to look at Pepper. "Our daughter is such a smart girl."

"Our daughter needs to go to bed soon," Pepper said, grinning.

"No," Morgan protested.

"Yes, honey, you do." Pepper ran a hand over her daughter's head. "I made dinner. We eat, then you can watch a movie, and after that, it's bedtime for you."

"But we didn't have baby time yet," Morgan cried out.

"We're going to have that tomorrow after you unwrapped your presents." Pepper held out her hand, waiting for Morgan to take it. "And we will have extra long baby time then, okay, sweetie?"

"It's a promise," Tony chimed in.

"Okay," Morgan said with a sigh, grabbing her mother by the hand.

Pepper smiled when Tony took her other hand and squeezed it gently, smiling back at her. "Am I gonna get my baby time tonight?" he asked. It made her chuckle. "Am I?"

Looking at her with puppy eyes, he pursed his lips, as though he would pout if she denied him what he was asking for. She nodded, and it made sitting through dinner, and Morgan's movie, extremely hard for him. Tony could hardly sit still. He felt restless, antsy—to the point that even his daughter noticed it, except she thought her father was like that because he couldn't wait for Santa to come to their home.

Two hours later, when they were putting their little girl to bed, she looked at her father and said, "Daddy, you need to sleep."

"I do?"

"Yes," Morgan answered. "If you don't go to sleep, Santa is not coming. You told me. And I see you are really excited, so if you sleep, tomorrow will come sooner."

Tony laughed out loud, glancing at Pepper, who had squatted down at the other side of Morgan's bed. He looked back at his child, stroking her head as he told her, "That's absolutely right, baby." Kissing Morgan's forehead, he smiled.

"Santa is real, right, daddy? I don't know… I want him to be real."

Pulling back, Tony frowned at her. "Who said he isn't?"

"Griffin."

"Who's Griffin?"

"A boy she met at soccer practice," Pepper filled him in, smirking when she saw his features change, that shocked look on his face.

"She's dating boys already?" he let out. "She's four, Pepper... _Four_! She can't date boys yet. Are you kidding me?"

"Honey… please calm down! No one said anything about dating. Griffin's just a friend," Pepper assured him, laughing.

"Well, if he's saying Santa isn't real, then he's a very bad friend." Tony argued, eyes on his daughter. "Listen to me, kid... Just because you have never seen him doesn't mean Santa isn't real. You trust me, don't you?" She nodded. "And I'm telling you, he exists. And he will be here in a few hours and eat all the cookies you and Mama baked, and drink that milk from your favorite dairy cow—"

"Mooana."

"That's right. Mooana," Tony said, smiling. "And he'll leave your Christmas presents right under that big fir tree you and me picked out, and he's going to come back to our farm next year and the year after that, and the one after that… As long as you keep being a good girl. And you're so darn cute, you could never be bad." He chuckled. "You understand?"

"I understand," Morgan said quietly. "Are you angry with me, daddy?"

"No, baby. Why would I be?"

"Because I listened to—"

"I'm not angry," Tony said, combing his fingers through her hair, a smile still on his lips. "A friend... someone you trust... made you doubt something you have always believed in. And I know what it's like wanting to keep believing but having the world make it hard for you, and that's okay. I get it." He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "I want you to know that you can always come to me if you have any doubts about anything. I'm here for you. Whatever it is, you can talk to me, alright? Don't feel ashamed. Just talk to me... ask me. I'll never get angry or make fun of you. No matter how stupid you think it is."

He had to fight back tears, thinking of how confusing the world had to be for a sweet, innocent child like his daughter, and feeling like he could never protect her from the scary reality of it all. And as if she could see him struggling with his emotions, Morgan wrapped her arms around Tony's neck and pulled him into a hug. He started crying silently into her pillow, his emotions getting the better of him.

"I love you so much, daddy," her soft voice sailed through the air to his ears, making Tony cry even more. He was crying tears of joy now. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her. Being a father was his favorite thing in the world.

"And I love you back," he whispered against Morgan's cheek, kissing it. "I love you so, so much, my sweet little child. More than you'll ever know." Tony could hear Pepper's soft sobs. He knew them as tears of happiness so he purposely did not rush to shush them away, instead just smiled, as he moved to be able to look at her.

Morgan turned her head when she saw her father look at her mother. "Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I love you too... very much... like daddy." She opened her arms and Pepper fell into them, hugging her child close to her chest.

"And I love _you_ , baby girl," she said. "I love you more than anything else in the whole wide world."

Morgan smiled and gave both her parents a kiss on the lips, then let Tony tuck her in. "Goodnight," she said softly.

"Goodnight, kiddo. Sweet dreams," Tony replied, getting up.

A few hours later, they went to bed, and as Pepper lay down on her back, Tony pulled up her sleeping shirt and touched his lips to her round belly, kissing it gently. Her hand moved to his head and the curly hair there, silk twining through her fingers. Pepper toyed with one of his soft curls, smiling sweetly at her husband, who was caressing the swell of her pregnant belly with the palm of his hand. This was baby time for them, their favorite time of the day—and their daughter's. Just loving moments of pure bliss where they connected with their unborn child. Morgan usually told the baby stories while Tony didn't say a word as he kept his head pillowed on Pepper's belly or caressed it with his hands. Sometimes, however, Tony told the baby about the day he'd had, and Pepper couldn't stop smiling. She was always smiling when she saw him interact with one of their babies.

Completely savoring the moment, Tony had his eyes closed, as he whispered, "It's kicking again," and sighed contentedly.

"I know... I can feel it," Pepper said, chuckling softly. "I think our little peanut's really excited to meet you soon."

Tony opened his eyes, glancing up. "Can't believe it's almost time... You know, I love you like this." He stilled his movements and looked where his hand was. On her belly, over silvery skin, stretched from her pregnancy. "I love seeing our child grow inside of you. It's a miracle! I hope this won't be our last one."

"You really want more?"

"I told you I want five," he said, smirking. "Don't you love it, Pep? Being pregnant?"

"Yeah," she admitted, "but that doesn't mean I wanna be like this forever." She emitted a soft laugh.

Tony planted another gentle kiss on her belly, then crawled up and lay down beside her, his face only inches away from Pepper's. Her smile instantly grew wider. Smoothing his thumb down her cheek, he smiled back.

"I love our beautiful family."

"Me too," Pepper whispered against his lips right before she kissed him.

"So, are you finally gonna tell me what we're expecting?"

"You said you didn't wanna know," she reminded him with a smirk.

"I wanna know now."

"Not gonna happen, Tony."

"Can I..." He moved his hand under her shirt, "convince you," trailed his finger across one breast, "somehow?" and raised an eyebrow.

"I _am_ gonna have sex with you, if that's what you want, but I'm _not_ gonna spoil the surprise." Pepper traced her finger over Tony's bare chest to the trail of dark hair that started at his navel, then ran her finger back up to his ribs.

"You're a meanie," he complained, pouting. "But if sex is all I get then I might as well have it."

"That sounds like you'll not enjoy it," she quipped.

Tony wanted to be serious, but the stupid look on her face made him giggle. "I hate you," he said, inching closer. "Just shut up and let me make love to you."

"Love? I thought you hated me?" Pepper remarked, chuckling, and dropped a hot kiss on his mouth, kissing him passionately, while her hand slid down his body and into Tony's pants. He gasped, then followed suit, desire taking over.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Pepper stood at Morgan's bedside, and with gentle but insistent motions shook her awake. "Baby, wake up. I'd like you to see something."

Disoriented, Morgan cracked open her eyes. Pepper smiled and took her by the hand, leading her into the hallway. "Where are we going, mommy?" Morgan wondered, her voice drowsy with sleep.

"Sssh," Pepper shushed her, gently running a hand over her daughter's head, as they went downstairs. Stopping at the end of the staircase, she asked, "Do you hear that noise?"

Morgan nodded. "What is that?"

"You know how Mommy sometimes has trouble sleeping because the baby is kicking so much?" Again, Morgan nodded. "Well, the baby was keeping me up all night so I went to the kitchen to have a little snack and I saw someone in our living room."

"Who?" Morgan started to become more active. Eyes wide open, she shifted excitedly from foot to foot.

"You can go have a look, but you really have to quiet, because if he sees you, it might startle him and he may run away before his work here is done."

"Who... is... _it_?" Morgan slowly but surely grew impatient.

"See for yourself," Pepper said, nodding in the direction of the open, large double doors.

The little girl turned the corner and entered the living room. It was then that Morgan's chin slowly dropped in surprise and her eyes widened in awe. A big man in a red coat with white fur edging at the hem, sleeve cuffs, and center front concealing the zipper stood in their living room. The black leather boot tops he wore on his feet also had fur cuffs and his wide black leather belt flashed a gold-tone metal buckle. There were cookie crumps in his white, long beard, which Morgan only noticed, because the moonlight fell onto his face, and most of his white hair was tucked under a red velvet stocking cap with a fur band and a pompom.

Morgan, wanting to squeal, quietly called for her mother, "Mama, it's Santa! Santa is here!"

Pepper stepped forward and eased down on her haunches, wrapping one arm around her daughter. "I wanted you to see this, because I know how much you love Santa. And I wanted you to still believe in him."

Morgan turned around and threw her arms around her mother, almost making Pepper tumble over. "Thank you, mommy!" she whispered.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Pepper said, smiling, as she led her child back outside and up the stairs. "I want you to believe in things you can't see, because if you ever feel like giving up, that's what will keep you going, honey... Your belief that there's hope. And hope isn't anything you can see, right?" Morgan nodded. "You know, one of your daddy's greatest strengths is that he believes in things no one else believes in."

"He does?"

"When the world told him he would never be a good father, because his own father, your grandpa, treated him so unkindly, he believed he could be a great daddy. He was so scared that people could be right and he was believing in something that wasn't real, but he never stopped believing."

"I don't care what the world says," Morgan said, as Pepper tucked her back in, "I love my daddy!"

Pepper smiled and bent down to plant a tender kiss on Morgan's forehead. "The world just doesn't know him like we do... Now go back to sleep, sweetie."

"Night, mommy." Morgan placed her small hand on Pepper's stomach. "Goodnight, baby."

Pepper lay her hand on top of her daughter's, stroking the back of it with her thumb. "You will be such a great big sister. I love you."

"Love you, too," Morgan answered, rolling over, and closed her eyes.

Pepper stayed in Morgan's room for a few more minutes, watching her daughter sleep. When she entered the master bedroom, Tony was already laying in bed, with his legs stretched out, resting his back against the wooden headboard.

"You know, getting up the stairs is a real challenge… Getting up from the floor already is," Pepper mentioned, chuckling, as she crawled up onto the bed next to him. "I'm so exhausted." She put one hand on Tony's cheek to caress him before she let it fall down onto his chest. "But it was totally worth it. You did a good job, Santa!"

Tony smirked. "Did she buy it?"

"She was overjoyed. I could see it in her face," Pepper said, grinning. "I'm really surprised she managed to stay so quiet."

He laughed softly and put his hand on top of hers. His arm slid around Pepper's shoulder and she leaned against him, breathing a sigh. "You know, I think we're really nailing this parent thing, Pep," Tony boasted.

Pepper chuckled. She witnessed his hand move to her belly, touching it with such gentle and care it made her body shiver, and she turned her head and looked at Tony, smiling. "I think so, too," she replied. "My kids are so lucky to have you as their dad."

"I'm lucky," Tony countered. "I have the perfect life... and the perfect lil' babies... because of you." Cupping one hand around Pepper's cheek, he pulled her in for a kiss. "Thank you, Miss Potts, for making every day seem like Christmas."

Pepper giggled against his mouth before letting go. "I can't believe how mushy you are."

"But you like it," he assumed, mischief flashing in his brown eyes. Pepper slowly nodded, and Tony laughed. "Well, if need be, I can be very un... mushy, too. Rough and hard."

"I know that," she said, laughing. "But right now, all I need is sleep. Big day tomorrow, remember?"

"I'm Santa Claus," Tony exclaimed, "how could I forget?"

"All right, Santa Claus..." She gave him a soft kiss and crawled under the sheets. "You can go fly through the sky and deliver presents to all the children of the world in your sleigh... or Iron Man suit... Misses Claus here is going to sleep."

"You're funny," Tony said, giggling like a silly schoolboy, as he slid beneath the covers. He rolled onto his side and spooned Pepper's backside with his front, his arm draped around her middle so they could hold hands.

"You're an idiot."

"But I'm _your_ idiot."

Her teeth exposed in a grimace that fell somewhere between a grin and a smirk—he was, and she wouldn't want him to be anyone else.

* * *

When Pepper opened her eyes the next morning, she was surprised to see her daughter occupying Tony's bedside, her face so close to hers she could feel the air move when Morgan breathed. The girl's mouth curled into a smile as she put her hands on her mother's cheek and pecked her lips. Pepper smiled and pulled her child into her arms, showering Morgan's face with kisses until she started giggling uncontrollably.

"Merry Christmas, little sunshine," Pepper said, stroking her cheek. "Where's your daddy?"

"Downstairs," Morgan answered. "We are waiting for you, but we think you need sleep."

"You didn't want to wake me up?" Morgan nodded her head up and down, signaling a yes. "That's so sweet. But you must be so excited to open your presents. I bet it was hard for you to wait."

"Yes, so can you please come now, mommy?" She crawled out of bed and tugged gently at Pepper's arm. "Please! Pleeeeeease!"

"Alright, alright. I'll hurry." Pepper laughed. "I need ten minutes, okay?" Morgan replied with a squeal and rushed out of the room.

It took her mother more than ten minutes to get ready, but when Pepper finally entered the living room, Morgan didn't even look at her, as she was busy listening to one of her father's stories from the time when he was still saving the world as Iron Man. Sitting on Tony's lap, she played with his hair, twisting and untwisting the strands, and tugging it gently. She looked like a monkey grooming a mate. All the while, her eyes were glued to his lips. She giggled, she laughed, and smiled, and Pepper's heart swelled with love for her child and her husband, and the strong bond those two shared.

"Mommy's here," Tony said, as he spotted Pepper. "Time to unwrap those presents."

About half an hour later, there was wrapping paper all over the living room's floor. Pepper was sitting on the couch; Tony was sitting next to her, his head resting against her shoulder. They had decided to hand out their presents to each other later and let Morgan be the center of attention for now. Enjoying the peaceful moment for a few more minutes, they cuddled in silence, happily watching their daughter play with her new toys. Then Tony launched himself off the couch and took Pepper's hand. She looked at him confused and he grinned, helping her up. Snapping his fingers, he tried getting his daughter to look at him.

"Because Santa got you so many presents this year, Daddy decided to give you something, too, so you won't forget who loves you most in this world," he explained to his child, and Morgan quickly rose to her feet and started jumping up and down with excitement. "Will you please follow me outside, principessa?"

"Tony?" Pepper whispered. "Why didn't you tell me there's more?"

"Because you would've talked me out of it," he answered quietly.

"Oh God, what did you do?"

"Relax, honey," Tony said with a chuckle. "You'll love it."

When they were all wrapped up in warm winter clothes, Tony took them to the sheds and told them to wait, as he stepped inside. Morgan's face crinkled in a frown. "Mommy?" She looked up at Pepper, who was holding her daughter's hand. "What did Daddy get me for Christmas?"

"I don't know, sweetie." Pepper forced a smile on to her face. "And I'm not sure I even _want_ to know."

They heard a loud, roaring noise from inside the shed, then Tony, grunting like whatever he was doing was physically straining. "I'm sorry. Rudolph here is a lil' stubborn," he said, as he pushed the animal out the door.

The moment Morgan realized what was happening, she released her mother's hand and ran towards her father with a squeal of excitement. Pepper's jaw dropped slowly, like a cherry sliding from the summit of a melting ice cream scoop. Her eyes looked as though they were ready to pop out of their sockets. She blinked once, then twice, and then looked at her husband, trying to convey something.

"Do you need a minute to regroup?" Tony asked, chuckling.

Pepper hauled her jaw back into place. "Tony... no."

"Honey, reindeer make good pets," he argued. "They are gentle and friendly, and they can be trained to pull sleds or carts and give rides. Think about it... We could train them to take part in the town's annual Christmas parade."

With eyes wide, she stared at him. "Did you just say _them_?"

Tony hemmed and hawed as he searched for an answer. "Look..."

"Oh God!" Pepper lowered her face into her hands and shook her head.

"I know what you're thinking—"

"How many?"

"You're thinking we can't possibly keep reindeer, because we don't know anything about their training and husbandry. We need to know what we're letting ourselves in for. We should understand what makes them happy and healthy, where's best to keep them and all of that, but I really thought this through."

"That would be a first," she mumbled.

"I talked to vets, zoos and animal trainers, alright? I know how to take care of them. And I talked to other reindeer keepers and they've found keeping them to be one of the most enriching and life changing events." Tony approached her and took her hands, pulling them away from her face so he could look into Pepper's eyes. Then he continued, "I got them from Finland. They're already domesticated. And in case it gets to warm up here in the summer, I can build them a stable with a special Stark tech cooling system. I can do this, Pepper. I'm a genius!"

"You're a jerk!"

"That too," he said, laughing. "But I'm also a genius."

"They like plenty of space, Tony."

"Oh, please... We're on a farm the size of Manhattan. We can manage. In fact, I was told they actually like change. So I'm gonna create acre sections with various fields, runs, shelters, wild ground, rough ground and we open them up at various times to keep things new for them." He fidgeted with his hands, first one and then the other. "They're like our daughter. They love to explore. And once an area has been shut off for a while, they can explore it all over again and it keeps them entertained and happy. And it keeps our daughter entertained and happy. I mean, look at her!"

Morgan was hugging and petting the reindeer while whispering sweet words to it, and handing it moss to eat that Tony had brought with him from inside the shed. She laughed when the animal nudged her face with its nose and tried to nibble her hair. Ruffling the area between its ears, she kissed the reindeer's head tentatively. Tony was truly amazed at how easy his daughter handled and connected with the reindeer, because that one was definitely the most stubborn of them all.

"How many reindeers did you buy?" Pepper repeated her question from before, not entirely sure if she even wanted to know.

"Only three."

"Three?"

"Rudolph, Comet and Cupid."

"And next thing you know there'll be Dasher and Dancer... Prancer and Vixen... and Donner... and Blitzen." Tony giggled and kissed her cheek. She groaned in return. "God, why couldn't it _just_ be a dog?"

"Oh, you know, there's always next Christmas," he joked.

"Promise me you will build them a home that's safe and fitting." She couldn't believe she was actually agreeing to this. But he was right. Their daughter seemed to have found instant happiness in her new companion. And she knew Morgan would care for the reindeer like she cared for all the other animals. Her love for them was endless. "I don't want Animal Health Services to show up here and take them away."

"I don't want that either, Pepper. I promise I'll take care of it, like I've taken care of everything else." Tony pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her face. "Thanks for letting me keep them."

"I'm still not sure I should."

"You can call ASPCA yourself, if this doesn't work out."

Pepper had to laugh. "I will, Tony... I can promise you that."

He kissed her temple before pulling back. "Can I make it up to you by giving you your present now?" he suggested, grinning.

"What about her?" Pepper asked, nodding in Morgan's direction.

"She'll come with. She has to."

"Why?"

"You'll see... It's more of a present to both of you, really." Noticing the curious look on Pepper's face, he smirked. "You'll love it."

"That's what you said about Rudolph here, too," she muttered. "What is it? There are no more gifts under the tree."

"Your present doesn't fit under the tree. It's in the guesthouse."

"Is it a giant stuffed bunny?"

He smirked. "Would that fit into the guesthouse?"

"Not if it's about 15 feet tall like last time."

"Stark Bunny is dead, Pep." Tony raised his hands to the sky, addressing the gods. "May he rest in peace." Then he looked back at her. "I might bring it back some time, but today's not the day."

"Please don't bring it back," Pepper mumbled.

Laughing, Tony took her hand and walked up to their daughter, telling her to bring Rudolph back inside. It took a while until the little girl had recovered from the surprise of seeing more reindeer inside, and a few more minutes until she finally said goodbye to all of them. Tony had to promise her that she would get to go back to them after lunch, and that she could play with them all day. She told him that she had always wanted a reindeer, although Tony seriously doubted that was the truth, and when he scooped her up in his arms, Morgan said he was the best daddy in the whole wide world—that he knew was true.

"I want you to close your eyes," he told Pepper as they walked up the stairs to the guesthouse, which was just a short walking distance from the main building but still far enough to offer some privacy. "You can keep yours open, Morgan, but please don't squeal too loud or say any names, okay?"

"Tony?" Pepper looked at him, still a little worried. "You sure it's a good surprise? Because I know how you are with surprises and—"

"It's the best, baby." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Trust me."

Seeing the worried expression on her mother's face, Morgan giggled. "You scared, mommy?"

Tony, still holding his daughter in his arms, laughed. "I think Mommy is really scared." He ruffled Morgan's hair. "Should we force her inside?"

Morgan nodded. "Push her!"

"Hey, no one's pushing me," Pepper protested, laughing too. "I'm going, alright? You guys shut up now."

"Close your eyes," Tony demanded. "I'll open the door for you."

"Eyes closed," she stated.

"You'll love me so much more after this," he said excitedly, as he let her in, and smirked. "So much more."

Tony had built the guesthouse and Pepper had furnished it, so it was easy for her to walk blindly inside without bumping her shin into a piece of furniture. She heard her daughter make a sound as though Morgan was trying to muffle a scream, then she heard the sound of soft footfall, followed by another, this time accompanied by the slightest creak of wood. Pepper had nearly decided to open her eyes when she felt two skinny arms wrap around her body. And then a familiar scent, floral and heady, made its way to her nose. It was a smell she had taken in many times in her life; one she'd always recognize. As she was pulled into a hug, the tears came before Pepper could stop them.

"Mom?" she sobbed out, eyes still closed. Overcome with emotions, she clung to her mother, her tears flowing freely, as if she was three years old again and in desperate need of her mother's comfort.

"Don't cry, my darling," her mother said softly, stroking Pepper's hair gently, hoping to calm her down.

Pepper sobbed so hard it took a while to catch her breath. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprising my beautiful daughter for Christmas?"

"No, I mean how did you get here?" Pepper asked, sniffling. She pulled back slowly, as she tried to focus on keeping her breathing steady.

Reaching over, her mother moved a wisp of hair away from Pepper's face and off to the side. Then she brushed her knuckles across her cheeks and smiled at her. "You're not gonna believe this, Virginia, but the answer is... in an Iron Man suit." She chuckled and looked over her daughter's shoulder at her son-in-law, who was smirking at her with tears in his eyes.

"You mean..."

"When no airline would have me, your husband decided to send me one of his suits to France, because it can weather every storm. He called me yesterday, told me to get inside that thing and just let F.R.I.D.A.Y take me here. And, you know, I think I never trusted anyone that much with my life." She smiled. "But you know the feeling, don't you, love?"

Pepper turned around to look at her husband. "You did what?"

"I knew how sad you were to spend Christmas without your mother... I know how sad _I_ am not to have my mom with me..." Tony swallowed hard, emotions running high. "So I wanted to surprise you. And it was a great opportunity for me to test that special snow suit I developed."

"What do you mean _test_?" Pepper's mother exclaimed in shock. "Are you telling me I could've crashed?" Both Tony and Morgan had to laugh at the way her eyes widened and her eyebrow scrolled up.

"Daddy's suits always work," Morgan said, giggling.

"They do not, I'm afraid," Tony noted truthfully, "but if you had asked me this, like, ten years ago, you definitely would've crashed," he joked. Walking up to her, he smiled. "I wouldn't do anything to harm you, Cari. It was completely safe." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "But thank you for trusting me."

"Thank you for getting me here," she answered with a smile. Then she took her granddaughter from Tony's arms and cradled the girl to her chest. "How's my baby?"

"I'm not a baby anymore."

"I can see that," Cari said, laughing. "You're also quite heavy."

"That's because she eats like a horse," Tony quipped.

Laughing, Pepper's mother bumped him with her hip, as she went past him. "Makes you wonder where she gets that from..." She shot a smug grin over her shoulder, noticing amused that Tony wasn't so quick on the comeback this time like he usually was. "Let's go over to the main house so you can show me your presents," she addressed her granddaughter, who immediately started babbling away, telling her grandmother the story of how Tony had surprised her with the reindeer.

"I just got sassed by your mother," Tony remarked. "This is becoming a habit. I like it." Stood in front of Pepper, his hands moved to the side of her body to hold her at her waist. "You're so quiet... You okay?"

She nodded, smiling, and put her arms around him. "Just trying to process what happened," she explained, her voice soft. "I can't believe you had my mom fly in a suit."

"And I can't believe your mother agreed to that," Tony let out, laughing. He smiled back at her and kissed her right cheek, then the other one, tasting the saltiness of her tears. "Your happiness means everything to me, Pepper. This was the least I could do." Her bottom lip quivered and he shifted his thumb to smooth it. "Please don't cry anymore. It's all good now," he murmured to her. "You get to spend this day with all the people you love. I'm glad I could make that happen for you."

"You know you're the person I love most in this world?" she whispered, a small sob racking her body lightly. "I love you so much."

Tony couldn't wipe the smile off his face, as he felt himself tearing up again. He was so moved by all the love around him. It was literally all he had ever wished for. When his mouth closed over hers the next instant, his insides turned to mush. Pepper's arms crept up to encircle his neck, and she clung to him, and he took her face between his strong hands and gave himself fully to both the embrace and the emotional kiss. Tony's tears rolled down his cheek, mixing with hers as they kissed, and when their lips parted, moments later, they stared into each other's eyes for minutes without saying a word. Leaning his forehead against hers, Tony gently traced his fingers over her features. Pepper closed her eyes, reveling in his touch.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, kissing her lips once more, and her smile made his heart race. "I could stare at you forever."

"Cheesy Tony," she spoke.

"Lovesick Pepper," he replied.

Pepper's eyelids fluttered open. "I can't help it," she told him, her giggling muffled by his winter coat as she let her head fall against his chest.

"Neither can I," Tony admitted with a grin, kissing her hair.

Pepper glanced up and spoke a soft thank you against his lips before kissing him, "for bringing my mom home."

When she screwed up her face and blew out a breath, Tony instantly worried. "What's wrong?"

"It was just a kick."

"Must've been a pretty hard one... You sure you're okay?" Unbuttoning her coat, Tony pulled it open and slipped his hands under her wool sweater and her shirt. He splayed his fingers across her belly, never missing a chance to feel the sudden contracting of muscles beneath his hand. "Wow..." His eyes widened. "Someone's really fidgety today."

"Today?" Pepper held her swollen middle through the dull pain from the restless movements of their baby. "It's been like this the entire month." She felt the baby kick so hard she wanted to scream. He just watched her as she gritted her teeth and gasped through another wave of pain. "I think he really wants to come out." Tony's jaw dropped as he realized what she said. So did hers. "Oh my God, I'm sorry, Tony. You weren't meant to know that already."

"I–I wasn't?"

"No, I wanted this to be your gift," she said, angry with herself for having ruined the surprise. "I bought these special lights just for this occasion and—"

"Lights?" Tony didn't move, still holding his hand in place, splayed across her belly. He didn't manage to form a full sentence. He was completely overwhelmed.

Pepper released a groan; now mad at the baby for kicking her so hard she spilled the beans. "I got pink and blue ones. And I put them on our tree and then connected each string to a different outlet, so I could ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let the colors change... and then in the end, the tree would've lit up in blue and you would've..."

"Slow down, honey. Slow down," he finally spoke. His hands came onto her shoulders, rubbing them in a soothing manner. "It's okay."

"It's not okay, Tony," Pepper almost yelled at him. "I ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything, Pep." He made sure not to make fun of her hormones right now, but he felt they were to blame for her outrage. And it was cute; the way she got worked up over nothing.

"This was supposed to be your gift and now I blurted it out... You know, just like that. So much for that big announcement, huh?"

"Honey..." Cupping her cheeks, he grinned at her. God, she had a pout that melted his heart, and Tony couldn't help but to laugh softly at her expression. It was so adorable! "I love that you fucked this up."

"Ugh, please don't rub it in."

"Listen to me," he said, laughing. "I love that this pregnancy turns you into this unpredictable mess." His smirk grew wider. "You're always so organized and in control... not that I mind, by the way... and this baby... It just makes you do weird things, and silly things, all the time... and it's fun and entertaining, and our daughter and I _love_ that."

"It's a pretty wild ride with this little guy, isn't it?" She grinned, remembering how different this pregnancy was from the first one, and curled her fingers around Tony's neck. "I guess he's just like his daddy."

"Wait 'til he's born..."

"He'll drive me crazy."

"Just like I used to do," Tony said, chuckling.

"Used to?" Pepper arched up an eyebrow.

As they exchanged glances, they dissolved into a fit of giggles. Tony wrapped his arms around Pepper and locked her in his embrace, resting his chin on top of her hair. Pepper held him tight, her arms gently stroking up and down his back. Their laughter faded away and silence settled between them. Minutes passed, and then she heard a soft sob escaping Tony's throat, and she was once again amazed by how much he'd grown. Dropping the persona he had worked so hard to create had been the biggest challenge of his life, she was certain of that, and if her baby boy would be anything like his father, he would make her a very, _very_ proud mother. And Pepper couldn't wait to see that little man grow up with the greatest male role model any boy could have.


	7. The Golden Egg

_**A/N:** Morgan teams up with Peter and Harley during the annual egg hunt on her parent's farm._

* * *

Egg hunts were for children. Adults would watch in amusement, and encourage their offspring in their searches, but the children were the ones that did the actual hunting. However, that was not how it was done in the Stark-Potts household. Today was the annual egg hunt on Stark farm—the day that everyone ran around looking for eggs; eggs which were hidden by the famous Easter Bunny.

Morgan didn't know much about the Easter Bunny, or why a bunny would want to hide chocolate eggs around the world once a year, but she loved having so many friends over to play with: Rhodey, Natasha, Bruce, May and Steve, and a few people she didn't know that well—Scott, Clint and Carol—and then, of course, there were her big brothers, Peter and Harley. The only one she missed was Uncle Happy. He was never on time for the egg hunt.

Because there was such a large area of farmland to cover where eggs could be hidden, the whole group was divided into teams of two. Morgan was in a team with both Peter and Harley while her parents formed their own team. Morgan didn't understand why. Because all they did every year was fighting on where to look first and where to go next. Her mother always won the argument, but the time her parents spent arguing was probably be better used searching for eggs. She had thought about telling them that, but then they might actually find the most eggs and win, and she really, _really_ hated losing.

Morgan stood at the end of the row of people, all lined up at the starting line of the egg hunt. She held her empty basket with anticipation as she waited for Dum-E to give the start signal. She turned to Peter, who was standing right next to her. "Follow me," she demanded in her little voice, making him and Harley laugh.

Peter patted her tiny head and looked down at Morgan with a warm smile. "You're the boss, Momo."

"We'll be right behind you," Harley said. "Following your orders."

"You can stay right here, kids," Tony told them, "because the missus and I are unstoppable.

"You think you're gonna win?" Peter scoffed at him, and Tony answered with a wide grin, exposing his teeth.

"You can't even decide where to start looking," Rhodey butted in.

"Of course we can," Tony said, a little offended, and turned to his friend, who was teaming up with Scott. "The stables."

"No," Pepper retorted. "I thought we agreed to search by the lake first. There are way too many hiding places at the stabl—"

"Honey, I know you said the eggs by the lake are the easiest to find..." Tony gently put a hand on Pepper's shoulder in an attempt to soothe her, "But I told that's why we should leave them to the kids."

"You think we're not good enough to find a well-hidden egg?" Harley intervened now, raising an eyebrow at him. Peter did the same, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Guys, can we just get on with this?" Natasha said, laughing. "Morgan's already, like, a mile ahead."

"What?" Tony gazed off into the distance and saw his daughter sprinting toward the back of the field near the woods. He looked over at Dum-E whose robotic arm moved as if he was shrugging a shoulder, telling him it wasn't his fault Tony had missed the start signal.

Startled, Pepper jumped as Tony's voice rumbled loudly near her left ear, telling her to quickly follow him to the stables. With an eye roll and an exaggerated sigh, she relented. "One day, I'm gonna kill him," she mumbled and ran after him.

"C'mon, Pete!" Harley shouted, and raced across the field to catch up with Morgan.

In close proximity to the cattle range, were a number of sheds and outbuildings adjacent that housed farm equipment and tools. Morgan was inside one, hunting for eggs. Peter searched another shed while Harley went into the garage where Tony kept the agricultural vehicles. All across the floor were dozens of pieces of what had been the lawn tractor, including a vast assortment of engine parts, pistons, valves, axles, springs, and a lot of other similar stuff. Harley grinned. Tony Stark may be a farmer now, but he would never stop being a mechanic. Tripping over hundreds of bolts and washers, he rummaged through the place until he heard Peter yell.

"Over here!"

Morgan had already collected four eggs, but was more than happy to see Harley put another one in her basket. Jumping with excitement, the content almost fell out.

Harley chuckled, stroking the girl's head. "Be careful with the eggs," he said, and then looked at Peter who was near the entrance gate to the lush green pasture, pointing at the golden Easter egg inside the fenced area. "Dude," he cooed, excitedly. "If we get that one, we score four points!"

"Yes!" Morgan squealed, jumping up and down again—that's when Harley decided to take the basket and carry it for her. He took her by the hand and walked with her over to Peter.

"We need to get it before anyone else can."

"Yeah, you know why it's in there?" Peter said, "Because of The Hulk."

"The Hulk?"

"You've never met The Hulk?"

When Morgan started to giggle, Harley looked at her confused. "What did I miss?"

"The Hulk is our bull," Morgan told him.

"He's not just any bull, though," Peter noted. "That dude is the size of a tank. His horns span about six feet, and he's a lot faster than you might think."

"What kind of a cattle is he?"

"Scottish Highland. Tony says he just wants to play, but he came at me once and I'm telling you, he's got a touch of a temper that you don't wanna mess with."

"I'll get the egg," Morgan said, and let go of Harley's hand.

"No, you won't." Peter held her back by the arm.

"But Hulky loves me," Morgan protested.

"And I love you more," Peter argued, "which is why I can't let you go in there. I don't know what to do if something goes wrong."

"I want the egg!" Morgan stomped her foot. As far as a four-year old went, it was a declaration of war.

"Listen to me, Little Miss Trouble," Peter spoke softly, trying smooth ruffled feelings. He kneeled down and looked her in the eye. "I have a responsibility for you, and going in there is dangerous. We're going to get the egg, but you won't be the one collecting it. Harley will."

"I will?" Harley's eyes widened in shock. "From what you just told me _none_ of us should step foot in that bull's territory."

"Don't be such a coward!" Peter got back on his feet and grinned at him.

"Why don't _you_ go in there? You know that dude. You know what to expect. I don't!"

"Harley, please... I have a trauma." Peter laughed at his own words, as he patted his friend's shoulder. "I mean, you don't want me to have, like, a panic attack while I'm stuck in there with that bull, do ya, bud?"

Harley sighed deeply. "All right, I'm going. But you owe me, brother."

"Sure thing," Peter said, smirking.

Harley turned to open the gate, but instantly froze, as he looked across the field. "Oh shit!" he gasped.

Peter's eyes followed Harley's gaze, and he stared in shock as the lively toddler darted toward the location of the egg.

"We gotta do something!" Harley almost screamed. "You're Spider-Man. Do something!"

"I don't have my suit," Peter said, his voice shaky and unsettled.

"Fuck this!" Harley hissed, putting down the basket and tearing open the gate.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna fight the damn dragon and save the princess."

Peter watched as Harley sprinted toward Morgan. He knew he should follow them, but someone had to stay behind. Because if anything bad was going to happen, he had to get help. That stupid and adorable little girl was so impulsive and lacking in self-protection. She was just like her father—a firecracker that could go off at any moment. She could barely be left alone. She had to be watched at all times. Sometimes, it was exhausting to be exposed to these endless amounts of Stark energy—was that how Pepper felt with Tony every single day? But there was nothing Peter wanted to change about the girl that he loved like a sister. Absolutely nothing.

"I got it!" Morgan screamed, holding the giant egg in her hands. Jumping up and down, she waved her arms, "Look! Look!" Behind her, Harley could see the massive, heavy-maned bull approaching.

"Oh God, Tony's so going to kill us," he mumbled, speeding up. There was no doubt that The Hulk wanted to smash something—it better not be Stark's little girl. "Come here, Morgan!" Harley yelled. "Quick!"

Morgan ran towards him, giggling like crazy, completely unaware of the imminent threat lurking behind her. The bull grunted and made a deep-throated sound, which carried for more than a mile. The moment she was in reach, Harley scooped her up in his arms and ran quickly into the other direction. Morgan, facing the other way now, saw The Hulk closing in on them. The bull's tongue hung out, and a stream of foam was dripping to the ground. Morgan stuck her own tongue out at the animal to tease it, bouncing up and down on Harley's shoulder as they moved to get away. She giggled so hard she began to hiccup.

"Hurry!" Peter shouted at them from afar, "He's right behind you."

The little girl laughed tears like she never saw anything funnier. Harley was dripping with sweat, red in the face, and puffing and panting, as if he was about to expire. He didn't dare to turn his head and look the beast in the eye, but he could hear the animal roar. He tried to run as fast as he could, with the toddler hauled over his shoulder like a sack of flour. The more she laughed and wriggled in his grasp, the tighter he held her, hoping she would never let that egg slip through her fingers—this couldn't all be for nothing.

They reached Peter not a moment too soon. He shut the gate quickly behind them. The Hulk came to a halt right at the fence and looked at them as if to say next time I'll get you. Harley landed on his back as he breathlessly collapsed on the ground with Morgan on top of him. She rolled off of him and held on to her tummy as she threw back her head and allowed all her ripe energy to ripple away in laughter.

Peter watched her. He was relieved to have Morgan back in one piece, but he couldn't stop grinning about what had happened. He wouldn't let Pepper and Tony know about it, because he wasn't sure how they'd react, but it was definitely a funny story to tell. He glanced at the bull that was grazing peacefully as though his hoofs hadn't pounded the earth just a minute ago. The animal half-raised its head and stared at the boy, but it didn't look the least bit scary anymore. Peter wanted to make a comment about how the bull had turned back into Bruce Banner, but with Morgan around, it was better to keep that to himself.

Harley groaned, and Peter looked at him with a smirk on his face, as he helped Morgan up. "I told you, he's got a temper," he joked.

Harley, still trying to gather his breath, panted. "Shut up, Pete!"

"Look, I have the egg," Morgan said proudly, showing it to Peter.

"And we both almost died!" Harley grunted, a little mad, but as he opened his eyes, he noticed the sad expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, lowering her head.

Harley sat up, staring at Morgan intently. "I know Hulky is your friend, but he's still a wild animal, and you should not come anywhere near him, unless you are with an adult."

"But you and Petey—"

"We're not... real adults," Peter said, "We're still young, and we just can't protect you like your mommy or daddy can. You understand?"

Morgan nodded.

"But we love you," Harley assured her, "We're your big brothers, and that means we will always try to protect you the best way we can. Like we did just now."

"Really?" she asked shyly.

Harley smiled tenderly at her and moved to embrace Morgan in a hug. Giving her a soft kiss on the head, he mumbled into her hair, "I promise you, squirt!"

Peter picked the giant egg up from the ground, which the toddler had dropped, hugging Harley, and put it with the other eggs in the basket. "Where do you think we should go next, munchkin?"

Morgan looked at Peter, frowning as she thought about his question.

"Your parents are probably still at the stables, and my guess is the others are hunting inside the house or by the lake," Harley figured. "Is there anywhere else where we can look? Like, a secret place on the farm?"

"The silo!" Morgan answered.

"After what just happened with The Hulk, we're not going to climb into a silo and drown in the wheat," Peter said, chuckling.

"Fruit garden!" Morgan called out.

"You mean your mom's vegetable patch?" Harley locked eyes with Peter. "Not such a bad idea."

Peter lifted Morgan up to carry her while Harley took the basket with all the eggs. The small girl rested her chin on Peter's shoulder and waved at The Hulk as they left, telling him goodbye. Peter laid his hand on her back, rubbing it as they hurried to their destination. He smiled as she snuggled against him, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He loved her so much. He didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to her.

"You know what we call the Easter bunny?" he asked her. "Me, Harley, your dad and your mom... All of us here?"

"No," she said softly.

"Hoppy."

Morgan giggled. "It's like happy."

"Yes, it sounds like happy. That's right." Peter smirked at Harley, who was trying hard not to laugh.

"I miss Uncle Happy," Morgan whispered, sighing. "Where is he?"

"Let me tell you something else about the Easter bunny," Peter said, trying to cheer her up. "Today is the most stressful day of the year for Hoppy. He has to paint billions of eggs over the course of a few days, and he also has to make sure that all the eggs end up where they are supposed to."

"And through rain, wind or snow, he always checks that every single egg find its destination into the hands of a child," Harley continued. "Every year, after herding the eggs, Hoppy makes a trip around the world as the egg hunts start to see if everything runs smoothly."

"And when it's bad?"

"If something bad happens, he can step in and save the day," Peter said. "So you don't ever have to worry about not getting any eggs, because Hoppy's always making sure that you do. He's here for you."

"He is here?" she asked excitedly, as she pulled back to let her gaze wander from one boy to the other. "Hoppy is on our farm?"

"Um... I... He's..." Peter gave Harley a look, asking for help.

"I don't know," Harley said. "I mean, there are no guarantees, but maybe he's really here right now."

"He is!" Morgan screamed. It was so loud that Peter felt her voice ringing in his ear. "Hoppy is here!"

The boys stared into the same direction she did, noticing that special someone she was talking about was in fact only a few feet away from them.

"Wait, he's here?" Harley mumbled. "I thought he was supposed to be finished by now?"

Peter shushed him, nodding at the girl in his arms, who was wriggling to get away. Peter had to let her go so she didn't hurt herself. And then she darted off, right toward the big bunny hopping around in Pepper's large vegetable patch.

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Harley asked, and Peter shook his head.

"No." He smirked. "Who do you think put the giant egg with the beast? That man wrestled The Hulk. I think he's more than capable of dealing with our little monster." Peter's smirk grew, and there was a rumbling in his throat, as a laugh could no longer stay down, erupting like a volcano from his belly. Harley just laughed with him.

As soon as the man in the costume spotted Morgan, he tried to escape. He was trapped inside the patch, and if he went through the opening, then he'd run right into her arms. His only way out was over the wooden fence. But he would have to jump high and the costume was surprisingly heavy. He wasn't an athlete or anything; just a well-fed man who had agreed to play his part in the annual Stark egg hunt—and make a total fool of himself.

"Hoppy!" Morgan yelled, as she came closer. She couldn't believe how cute he looked with that fluffy coat and those long, floppy ears.

He didn't jump over the fence. He tried, but it didn't work, because he was in such a hurry that he tripped over a cabbage and fell. When he crashed into it, the wooden slats of the fence scattered around the yard like exploded matchsticks. It hurt, but not too much, because, thankfully, the costume broke his fall. He grunted as he struggled to get back on his feet, and almost succeeded. But then he was tackled by a low weight and pushed down to the ground again.

"I got you!" the little girl squealed, trying to throw her arms around the bunny who was simply too big for her to hug properly. She giggled like some rabid hyena, snuggling up against her new, fluffy companion.

"You alright, man?" Peter looked down at the two of them, laughing. There was a sound of a muffled cry for help.

Harley collected all the eggs he could find in the garden, then turned to the rest and said, "Maybe you should let him go, Morgan. He doesn't have time for cuddles. He has work to do, remember?"

"But he's so fluffy and cute!" She surrendered, looking defeated. "I want to cuddle him."

"You can cuddle with us," Harley suggested.

"You're not fluffy."

"But we're cute," Peter said.

The toddler harrumphed loudly, and pouted her lips until they looked as if they had been stung by a wasp.

"What happened to my fence?" Pepper's voice sounded.

When Morgan saw her, she forgot all about her sulkiness and leaped to her feet. "The Easter bunny tried to flee," she said, running to meet her mother.

"Oh, did you scare it?" Pepper lifted Morgan into her arms.

Morgan's cheeks turned a little red. "Maybe," she whispered and gave a faint smile. "I wanted to cuddle."

Pepper smiled back at her, stroking her head. "You're the sweetest, little cuddle bear, aren't you, baby?" She tickled her daughter under her chin and showered her face with kisses, making her laugh. One look at the boys then, and they knew that she wanted them to help the poor guy.

"Thanks," he said and adjusted his costume. "I better get out of here before she tackles me again."

Laughing, the boys watched him leave, then turned back to Morgan.

"So how many eggs do you and Tony have?" Peter asked.

"We have the big one," Morgan announced to her mother, beaming with pride.

"You do?"

Pepper was curious, as Tony had sworn to her that the golden egg was hidden in the dung heap. He had rummaged through the pile of animal waste for a solid ten minutes without finding anything. She could still smell his scent on her body as though he was standing right next to her. As someone who spent day and night on a farm, she was quite used to the strong smell of droppings, just not on her husband.

"And where did you find it, honey? Where was it?"

"With the Hu—"

"Hunting gear!" Peter blared out and destroyed the likelihood of having to tell Pepper about their encounter with the bull. "It was in one of the sheds where Tony keeps the hunting gear."

"Please tell me he had that rifle locked up."

"Yes, yes," Harley said. "He did. The guns were all secured. We, um... We found it..." He stared at Peter with a pleading look.

"Uh..." Peter searched his brain for a quick explanation. God, they were such terrible liars. "You know that large white duffel bag Tony keeps to pack all his stuff? That's where it was."

"Yeah, just inside that old duffel bag," Harley concurred, internally sighing in relief that they had averted the danger of finding themselves face to face with an angry mama tiger.

Morgan's little brow furrowed as she looked at the older boys, her perceptive eyes shadowed with confusion. Pepper noticed the expression on her daughter's face, and how nervous both Harley and Peter seemed to be—as if she hadn't figured out they were lying already. They couldn't even look her in the eyes. But Pepper knew if she just waited a while longer they were either going to crack, or Morgan would be too excited about telling everyone about the golden egg she would simply blurt out the truth.

"That's such an odd hiding place for an egg that's worth four points," she said, feigning ignorance. But the boys could sense that she was on to them just by the way her eyes were piercing right through them.

Peter chuckled nervously. "Maybe the Easter bunny was in a hurry."

"Or maybe he thought no one would even look there, because it was too easy," Harley said.

Pepper smirked at their obvious fear of her maternal instincts, and turned to her daughter who she still cuddled close to her chest. Morgan stared at her mother with her brown eyes, smiling happily.

"Where is daddy?"

"We were with the horses when I left. You know, your father snatched up an egg right from underneath your uncle Rhodey. But he thinks he saw it first, and that it belongs to him. Your uncle thinks it's his. So, I guess they're still fighting about it right now. I'm just glad, this time, they're fighting without their suits," Pepper said, chuckling.

"Can I see him?"

"You want to tell him about the giant egg, hm?" She smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek. "Of course we can go see him. And in the meantime, your brothers can repair that fence."

"Why do _we_ have to do that?" Peter complained. "We didn't—"

"You know why," Pepper answered. Her expression was soft, but a darkness shot across her eyes that made Peter shiver. "Tools are in the house. Thanks." She flashed them a quick, smug grin, then left them standing there with their mouths wide open.

"At least we're still breathing'," Peter said, sighing.

Harley laughed. "Yeah, we're lucky she didn't kill us."

"Not yet."

"She loves knowing that _we_ know she knows."

"I guess this is how Tony feels when he fucked up and has to make it up to her," Peter said.

"Imagine being in Pepper Potts' bad books, and her just _loving_ to see you eat that humble pie.

"And I thought having to apologize to Iron Man is, like, the worst kind of humiliation. I was wrong."

"How much does Pepper want us to eat of that pie until she lets us off the hook?"

"I think Tony's still having some of it every morning, and he's been a freakin' saint lately."

"We're screwed!"

"Yup!"

* * *

"Ew, you stink!" Morgan wrinkled her nose, tilting her head away from her father as he outstretched his arms to take her from Pepper.

Tony laughed. "Certainly not the warm welcome I was hoping for."

"You smell like poo."

"Your daddy's very dedicated to the egg hunt, honey." Pepper grinned at him. He grinned back.

"And your mommy gives up way too easily," he retorted, dropping a hard kiss on Pepper's mouth.

"Hey," she complained, shoving him gently. "At least I never gave up on you, Mr. _Skunk_."

"That's true," Tony said with a chuckle, pecking her lips once more.

"I saw the Easter bunny," Morgan let him know with as much excitement in her voice as the moment she had told her mother.

"And then she tackled it and now the fence of my veggie patch is destroyed and I ordered your minions to fix it."

Tony, who was busy leaving a trail of soft kisses on his daughter's hair, laughed out loud. "My minions?" He looked into Pepper's amused face, smirking. "How did you get them to work for free? I always have to pay them to do anything around here."

"The same way I get you to do something."

"Oh my God, Potts!" Tony put his hands around the toddler's head, covering her ears. "You did not offer them any sexual favors in return, did you? Because that would be cheating... on _me_."

"You're an idiot, Tony!" Pepper laughed, shaking her head at his silliness. Her fingers weaved into the sickness of his soft hair, as she smiled. "Now go take a shower."

"Are you coming with me?" Tony purred, nestling his cheek into the palm of her hand. Pepper could barely withstand the mighty force of those big, brown puppy eyes.

"Mommy, we have to count all the eggs," Morgan said.

"You hear that?" Pepper grinned. "Sounds like I have something more important to do. Our daughter wants to know if she won."

"She wants to ruin what could be a pretty hot and steamy shower," Tony grunted, pouting. He looked at his daughter and brushed his thumb across her soft cheek. "Her only excuse is that she's so darn cute, and I can't be mad at her." He sighed.

"Love you, daddy," Morgan said softly, "Even when you stink."

"And I love _you_ , little monkey," he answered, grinning. "Even when you ruin grown-up time with your mama for me."

"And I love you both," Pepper told them, "even though the two of you drive me crazy every goddamn minute of every day."

"Language," Morgan called her out, and giggled.

"Language," Tony repeated, even louder, smirking at his wife, who was _this_ close to smacking him.

"You know, honey, sometimes I still wonder who's really the baby in this family," she quipped, snatching the basket with eggs from his hand—a move that made Morgan laugh. "Come on, sweetie. We have some eggs to count," Pepper said, turning around, and walked away.

On his way to the house, Tony took a detour to the vegetable patch to check on Peter and Harley. It made him proud to see how fast they had managed to fix what was broken. They were almost done repairing the hole in the fence. They were good boys, both of them. Together, they were an amusing display of double trouble. He tried to be a great mentor to them. Sometimes, he failed, and he had spent an awful lot of time learning to accept that. It was okay. He knew he couldn't do everything right, because he wasn't perfect. But they loved him like he were, and that filled his heart with more love than he could ever imagine to have for children who weren't his own.

"How are my favorite boys doing?"

"Almost done," Harley answered.

"No, no." Tony laughed. "I mean have you recovered from the shock of comin' face to face with the beast?"

"You _know_?" Peter nearly chocked on his own spit.

The realization of Tony knowing the truth etched across the boys' faces was synonymous with the shock in their eyes.

"This may be a different place, kid, but I still have my eyes and ears everywhere."

"Damn it!" Harley let out. "FRIDAY narced on us."

"FRIDAY never narcs on nobody." Tony grinned. "She just informs me of any… abnormalities happening around here, and I was _informed_ that there was an intruder inside The Hulk's playground."

"Mr. Stark… Tony... I swear, Harley and I, we were just—Please don't tell May."

"Don't sweat it, Pete. My girl's alive and well. That's all I need to know." The boys blew out a breath they had been holding. "I should also inform you that there's a safety system."

"A–a safety system?"

"What kind of safety system?" Peter asked.

"Oh, you know... In case that bull gets too close to, let's say, a person that has no business being there, because said person doesn't know how to handle The Hulk," he raised his eyebrow, giving the two a look, "FRIDAY releases his favorite toy and that attracts his attention right away. Problem solved. No one's getting harmed."

"Are you saying you could've stopped The Hulk from chasing after me?"

"Of course I could," Tony said, chuckling. "This farm has a total of 5,787 acres, which my daughter loves to explore, and I can't be everywhere all the time. Neither can Pepper. Do you seriously think I'd risk her precious life like that? I even have a safety system installed in the henhouse in case she gets assaulted by the chickens."

"I can't believe this," Harley uttered.

"I believed you could save her, and I was right," Tony told him, patting his back.

"You were teaching us a lesson," Peter mumbled.

"And it worked." Tony clapped his hands together proudly. "Because you're here, trying to atone for your sins, with my wife breathing down your necks, and I just know you two will never do anything this stupid ever again." The look on their faces made him laugh. "This is so funny! And you know what the best thing is? It's not me. It's you guys. She's making you suffer, and I bet she _wishes_ she could punish me instead, because she just _loves_ to make me grovel. God, I love that woman!"

"Did you tell her?" Harley asked.

"And risk being deprived of sex for a month 'cause I let you run with my daughter for half a mile instead of saving you? How stupid would that be?" He giggled. "No, this is all on you, my sweet, _sweet_ boys."

"You're a lousy father," Peter noted.

Tony ruffled his hair, laughing as Peter tried to slap his hand away. "I guess I am, Spider-Boy."

"And you smell really bad," he grumbled. "Like, worse than Rocket... _after_ he showered."

"Ouch, that hurt." Tony hit him gently against the back of his head, still laughing, as he left. "Later, kids!"

"Should we tell Pepper that he knew?"

"And deprive him of sex with his wife for a month?" Peter looked at Harley, and his lips slowly twisted into a smirk. "Well, you know what they say, Harles... Karma's a bitch."

* * *

Tony was surprised to find Happy in the master bedroom, stretched out on the reading chair with the Easter bunny's head in his lap.

"What happened to _you_?"

"Your daughter," Happy grunted.

"I'm sorry, pal." Tony couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up from inside him. "Didn't think she would get _this_ excited to see you. I thought she'd be more, um... subtle."

"She's your daughter. I don't even think she knows what that means." Leaping out of the chair, Happy started taking off the rest of the costume. "Next time, you can hire a professional, or an animal expert, because there are way too many dangerous creatures running around on this farm."

"Are you talking about my baby girl?"

"Why do I feel like you're enjoying this?"

"Because I do?" Tony grinned. "Listen, Hap... How about I pay you for what you did?"

"I'll take your money, but I'm not gonna do it again," Happy objected. "I did it twice without this stupid costume and that was fine. I mean I love hiding the eggs for everyone. But if you want me to show up like this for the hunt every year from now on, I'm telling you it is _not_ going to happen. I'm retiring."

"Happy..."

"I love your girl, Tony. She's my favorite kid in the world, but I cannot—"

"A grand."

"What?"

"I'll pay you a thousand bucks if you make this an annual thing," Tony said. "And I give you even more if you get hurt. I'll tell you which animals to look out for, because, you know, not all of them have a temper, and I promise to keep my daughter away from you. But you have to promise that you'll show yourself to her just once… from a distance… every year."

"If you're willing to pay for it, why can't anyone else do this?"

"Because I don't _trust_ anyone else. Even if I hire someone who's, like, a professional Easter bunny, I couldn't trust that person enough to let them walk around my farm. I never had anyone from the–the… the outside world in here. No one I don't really know, and I wanna keep it that way."

"You scared of the paparazzi?"

"I couldn't care less about the paps. They dress up as Easter bunny, snap pictures of my daughter and I sue the living shit out of them, but this... all of this... It's my sacred place, Hap. Pepper's and mine. It's our home. I can't invite people into our home that aren't friends or family unless I keep an eye on them. And I can't do that when I'm out there, hunting for eggs." Tony took a deep breath, not to let himself get all worked up about it. "I do have FRIDAY, yes, but she's not... This is a human thing, y'know? I need a person. I need _you_."

Happy almost teared up, hearing about how much this life Tony was living now meant to him. He realized, he had never really been aware of it. "You really want me to do this, like a job?"

"Please, bud," Tony begged softly.

"Okay then," Happy said. "Make it two and we have a deal."

"You want two grand?" Tony's brow furrowed in surprise.

"Make it two and you get the full Easter bunny experience next year, including an all-exclusive Morgan Stark cuddle option."

"Seriously?" Now Tony's whole face lit up, his lips forming a smile.

"And I want a costume that's more comfortable than this one. I can barely move in that thing."

"I have never made anything that fluffy, but—"

"Well, you better figure something out. Build it, buy it, I don't care. But this suit sucks."

"You got it, big boy."

"I want it on paper."

"Sure," Tony answered. "I will have my lawyer draw up a contract."

"No, not _that_ official." Happy shook his head. "Unlike you, I still have a reputation to lose, and I don't want anyone to know about this."

Tony chuckled. "Anything else?"

"Starting right now."

"You want me to give you two grand _today_?" Happy nodded. "But that's not how this business works."

"The way I see it, you don't _have_ a business without me."

"Man, you really learned from the best, huh?" Tony laughed as he walked over to the nightstand to grab his checkbook. He signed a check, then handed it to Happy. "Can I go shower now?"

"Yeah, you smell like a pig!"

"Well, thank you, Haps. I love you too, pal."

As Tony disappeared into the bathroom, Happy called after him. "Hey, who won?"

Tony peaked his head through the doorway. "My daughter's got the golden egg. I think it's safe to say the kids did."

"Morgan and the boys, they..."

"The boys actually were too scared to face The Hulk, so my daughter grabbed _her_ balls and showed them what real courage looks like."

"She's fearless!"

"She's a Stark," Tony said, full with pride. "And she's also a Potts. Should we really be surprised?"

"Pepper thinks she's more like you."

"I know," Tony said, chuckling. "But that's only because Pepper doesn't see herself through my eyes."

"So, what is it she's not seeing?" Happy was smiling, curiously.

"Pep thinks whatever crazy thing Morgan does... her fearlessness and braveness... even the most stupid things she does, that she shares that with me. But I can't take credit for that, because it's just not true. It's her. It's all _her_." Tony smiled, and blinked back a tear. "Because nothing I ever did is as brave, and crazy, and _stupid_ ," now he grinned, "as Pepper Potts, falling so hard in love with me that we ended up _here_." He paused, taking a minute to reminisce about the beginning of their relationship. Then he chuckled. "So, it's actually quite funny that she looks at our daughter and thinks, _I'm_ the crazy person."


	8. Why Don't We Just Dance

_**A/N:** Ever since the day she was born, Tony has been dreading the moment his daughter will be old enough to date. So when Morgan finally announces that she'll be going to the homecoming dance with a boy, Tony's attempt to distract himself from his emotional turmoil turns the evening into a magical night for everyone, especially Pepper._

 _This is obviously a look into the future, but don't worry, I will go back to little Morgan soon._ _If you've been following this series you know Pep was pregnant, so that explains a thing™_ _The dress I'm referring to is Gwyneth's 2015 Oscar dress._ _Contains minor smut._

* * *

"How long have you been standing there?" Pepper asked with a smirk on her lips, shaking her head a little. "30 minutes? An hour?"

"Hey, I'm just looking out for my daughter," he argued, as he kept staring out the window into the afternoon sun.

Pepper hugged him from behind, one arm crossing high over his chest, the other around his waist. "You need to relax, honey," she told him over his shoulder. Ducking her head, she kissed the side of Tony's neck.

Tony grabbed her hand, the one on his chest, and kissed it softly, then brushed it against his lips as he leaned back against her. "Why does she have to grow up?" he mused, and sighed.

"She'll always be your little girl, Tony," Pepper reassured him, smiling. She gave his hand a squeeze, felt him squeeze back. "How about I'll make you some dinner? That'll take your mind off this horrible, _horrible_ thing."

"Are you making fun of me?" he asked, turning in her arms. She welcomed him with a grin on her face, and chuckled—the kind of chuckle Tony loved to hear. He always loved to make her laugh.

"Maybe," Pepper said, amused. He started to open his mouth, but she smiled and warned him to silence with a gentle finger on his lips. "Hush," she whispered. "Our daughter will be fine."

He took her finger and kissed it. "And what about me?"

She grinned. "You better stop thinking about your daughter and start thinking about your wife."

"My wife?"

"This will be the first night since we became parents that we're gonna have the whole place to ourselves," she said, helping him through his confusion. "We better make the most of it."

"Oh, we definitely will," Tony replied, and one side of his mouth lifted in a suggestive smirk as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. It made her laugh.

"Alright, I'm going," she answered. "And you need to—"

"Relax. I know."

With a grin, Pepper turned around and walked out the bedroom door into the hall. She noticed that the door to Morgan's room was ajar. A loud noise came from inside, along with moans, groans, and occasional cuss words, or what sounded like cuss words. Calling her daughter's name gently, she knocked softly and poked her head through the doorway.

Morgan stood in front of her mirror, arranging her hair in preparation for her night out. She was wearing a blue satin, floor-length gown with a plunging V neckline that displayed her tall, slim body. The dress' open back dipped low to the arch of her back and reached around her firm bottom. Pepper had a feeling that the only reason Tony even allowed their daughter to wear a backless dress to the homecoming dance was the fact that it was the very gown that Pepper had worn so many years ago.

A few adjustments had to be made to ensure it fit Morgan perfectly—and it did. The dress accentuated the curves and planes of her body as if it were made specifically for her. The shoes she wore were strappy high-heel sandals made of black satin. Her thick chestnut hair fell loose on her shoulders. When she moved, the gold hoops at her ears and the half-dozen bracelets on her arm dangled. The sweet sprinkling of freckles that dusted her skin looked like a fine coating of cinnamon sugar. She was entrancing.

Seeing her daughter wearing that dress, Pepper found herself feeling very warm and nostalgic. The corners of her eyes shimmered with moisture as she looked at her admiringly. In the blink of an eye her little girl had become a woman.

"Look at you," Pepper said softly, almost reverently.

"Do you like it?" Morgan locked eyes with her mother and turned to show off the dress from all sides.

"I don't just like it." She chuckled. "I _love_ it!" Pepper stood shoulder to shoulder with her daughter in the mirror, a huge smile on her face. "You look so beautiful, Morgan!"

"Thanks, mama." Morgan smiled, flattered by her mother's sweet reaction. "I just don't know what to do with my hair. Like, should I wear it like this or in a bun? Or do I pin the sides up and then let the rest fall down in curls? Maybe it looks better straight. Or I could wear a headband. Dad said it makes me look cute... But, I mean, that was when I was four years old, so I don't know if—Ugh, why is this so hard?"

"Slow down, honey," Pepper said, laughing. She had always loved her daughter's rambling. It reminded her so much of Tony. "We'll figure this out together, okay? I'll help you. Just hold still." While she tried a few things with Morgan's hair, Pepper couldn't help thinking of the past. "You know, I almost had my first kiss with your father in that dress..."

"Well, it's a little too late for that," Morgan answered, flashing a grin.

"You kissed him?" Pepper stopped what she was doing to stare at her daughter in the mirror. "I mean, I'm not shocked you kissed a guy, but… Okay, maybe I am a little shocked… But I thought this was your first date."

"It's not our first date, mom. We've been going out for, like, a month."

"And you didn't wanna tell me?"

"Don't be mad at me, okay?" She gave her mother an apologetic smile. "I wanted to tell you. I really did. But remember the time when dad saw me holding hands with that boy when I was fifteen?"

"You mean when he put on his suit and threatened to blast him with his guns if he didn't back off?" Pepper laughed. To this day, she was glad the boy had been such a massive Iron Man fan, or else they would've faced a costly harassment lawsuit of some kind. Tony could be a little 'overprotective.'

"He threatened to homeschool me."

"Yeah, but Tony's only messing with you. He wouldn't have—"

"Are you sure?" Morgan cocked an eyebrow at her.

Pepper gave herself some time to think, then nodded, and a grin emerged on her face. "You're right. Maybe he would've done that. But you know your father just loves you so much, the thought of you having another man in your life completely freaks him out."

"It's called growing up."

"I know, sweetie. But your dad is... It's harder for him to accept this."

"How's he doing, by the way?"

"He probably had his second panic attack by now," Pepper joked.

"Is he still staring out the window, waiting for my date to arrive so he can grill him about things that are clearly none of his business?"

Pepper laughed softly, and replied, "Respecting boundaries has never been one of your father's greatest strengths. Trust me."

Morgan gave a low chuckle, and then let silence fall between them as Pepper tamed her hair. She watched her mother threading her fingers through the heavy mass of curls so effortlessly she wondered how many times she had done this to make it look so easy. Pepper wrapped it all into a delicate chignon at the base of Morgan's neck. Loose curls framed her face, softening the look and giving her a fairylike appearance.

When she was done, she tenderly caressed her daughter's hair and smiled. "I think you should wear your hair like this. It displays the back of your dress and it works great with those hoop earrings. Oh, and I might have a necklace to go with that. Want me to look?"

Morgan's cheeks blushed slightly. "I already went through your stuff and picked one," she admitted.

Pepper smirked. "So much for respecting boundaries."

Laughing, Morgan turned to face her mother. "Speaking of dad... You know, you never told me the story behind this dress," she said with a grin. "I'm just wearing it, because I know it means _something_." She paused. "And yeah, because, obviously, it's a beautiful dress."

"Well..." Pepper chuckled. "I better tell you that story when you get back. You know, after your date. I don't wanna jinx it."

"Mom!" she let out in a reproachful tone. "Does this dress bring bad luck or somethin'?"

Pepper laughed and soothingly rubbed her hands across Morgan's arms. "No, honey, it's fine. Really. That infamous dress led me right into the arms of your father. If anything, it's the start of something great, I promise."

A bright smile curved Morgan's lips as she thought about the upcoming night—it froze when FRIDAY spoke up, letting her know that her date was at the front gate.

"Let him in, FRIDAY," Pepper answered, seeing the tension in Morgan's body coil tighter.

"Why did you do that?" Morgan asked, slightly panicking. "I'm not ready. I still have to do my makeup. He's too early. I said six, and it's—" She looked at the clock on top of her dresser. "Oh my God, it's six! When did that—I need to breathe."

She hastily grabbed Pepper's hands and tried to calm herself down by focusing on her breathing. She concentrated on the sight of their hands together, and what she felt. How was it that her mother had such magic in her touch? It was like this energy of warmth and comfort, flowing from her mom's being right into hers. Feeling her squeeze her hand, instantly made Morgan feel calmer.

Pepper noticed it. She smirked, as she saw her not-so-little girl trying to pull herself together. She really was like her father. "I can keep him busy while you finish up here," she suggested, and Morgan—she didn't look up—nodded her head. Pepper tried to move, but was held back. "If you want me to help you, sweetheart, you have to let me go," she said with a chuckle.

Morgan's gaze darted up. "Sorry."

"You really like him, hm?" Pepper smiled, kissing her head. She was glad to see the tension leave her daughter's body—it was right back when the doorbell rang.

"I'm going," Tony yelled, and Morgan's eyes widened in shock.

Pepper laughed at her expression, although she felt sorry for her child, who seriously seemed to have a case of the jitters. This may not be her daughter's first date with that boy, but it sure was a very special one. It was the first time her and Tony would meet him, and that thought seemed to freak Morgan out. Knowing what Pepper knew about her husband, she completely understood why.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of that," Pepper soothed her.

Tony hurried down the stairs before anyone could stop him. This was it, he thought as he grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. If the boy on the other side of that door looked suspicious in any way, this date was over before it had even begun. He had promised himself that. He'd rather his daughter was mad at him for not letting her go to the dance than have her spent time with a guy she better not hang out with.

He used the full body scan. He stared deeply into the eyes of Morgan's suitor, who stood outside on the porch of the Stark residence, and very slowly scanned his body from head to toe. He looked decent—well, okay. He looked really handsome. He wore a black tuxedo that accentuated his muscular physique and broad shoulders. He had thick brown hair and his bangs fell forward, brushing his face. His blue eyes were bright, and Tony noticed that the boy was watching him carefully.

Tony finished his introduction with a stern, "So you're the one who's going out with my Morguna tonight?"

The young man smiled, unfazed by Tony's attempt to intimidate him. "Good evening, Mr. Stark," he greeted him with a cordial expression, and extended his hand. "I'm Kingston. My friends call me King."

Tony's finely arched eyebrow raised a fraction. "Listen pal," he scoffed, "There's only one king in my daughter's life, and that's me."

"Oh, for God's sake, Tony," Pepper came down the stairs, "Leave the poor kid alone!" She pushed past him, elbowing him out of the way. He groaned and looked at her, as if offended. She completely ignored that. "You must be Kingston." She shook the boy's hand, a warm smile on her face. "I'm Pepper. Morgan's mom." She glanced at Tony, "And this man's wife," then looked back at King. "I'm sorry. My husband can be such a baby sometimes, he forgets all his manners."

Tony's eyes flicked to Pepper. That was a low blow and totally uncalled for. He was just making sure their girl was going on a date with the right guy. And that guy, he was—He was staring at Pepper. Actively staring at her, like Tony himself would. Like he _did_ whenever she made it so hard to take his eyes off of her, because she was just so goddamn beautiful. That boy was ogling his wife with a glance that was meant to be affectionate, and Tony found that surprisingly charming. There was nothing weird or lewdly about the way Kingston looked at Pepper. That young man just seemed awestruck, or rather _star_ struck.

"Yeah, I–I know who you are," he stuttered. He felt the blush on his cheeks and couldn't do anything about it. Letting go of Pepper's hand, he told her, "I'm a big, um, fan of your charity work, Mrs. Stark. Uh, Morgan's mom... No, I mean, Pepper." He rubbed his hands over his face, feeling things couldn't get anything worse.

Tony chuckled, almost laughing out loud at the boy, who was so visibly intimated by Pepper's appearance; by standing before the woman he obviously admired a lot. It looked like Tony had to sit on the sidelines this time. He wasn't the hero in this scenario, Pepper was.

"Thank you, Kingston," Pepper said, smiling sweetly. She was aware and amused by his infatuation with her, but she tried not to embarrass him more. "I'm so happy to hear that."

"I love that you're using Stark Industries to branch out into areas, like education and creative arts," he added, as if she had asked him to. "I think the–the money that you give to foundations, it's... You have this big tech company, and you're trying to make a difference in the world, because you can, and you _know_ that you can, and I really appreciate that. Because, you know, there are just too many rich people who sit around and do nothing."

Tony frowned. Why was he looking at him when he said that? Last time he checked, he was Iron Man. He surely had done enough for this world.

"Well..." Pepper put one arm around their guest, leading him inside. "I think education is really important and I'm a big fan of art, so I'm glad I can do my part in supporting that." With a short glance, she ordered Tony to close the door, then looked back at her daughter's boyfriend—was he really that, or was it not actually that serious? "Let me tell you something... Why don't you have a good time with my daughter tonight, get her home safely, and then we'll talk in my office next week. You can share some ideas of what more you think I could do."

"Are you serious?"

"If it's about work, she's always serious," Tony butted in. He was so done being ignored, or being shot accusing looks. "You and I should have a talk now." The tone of his voice was unmistakable. He wasn't suggesting that they sat down and talked, unlike Pepper, he was demanding that they did. "You know, about tonight, and about any ideas you _think_ you can have… that are totally inappropriate."

"Dad, please… We're not gonna do anything. We just wanna have some fun."

Tony's eyes followed the sound of that sweet voice that came from his right, and there she was, his daughter, standing at the top of the stairs. She surveyed the scene, and then walked gently down the staircase. The dress she wore— _that_ dress—fitted like a second skin, hugging her hips lovingly, making her skin glow. Her hair framed her face in such a way as to make him draw a deep breath of appreciation. Morgan looked as beautiful as her mother had looked back then, and Tony felt himself tearing up. She moved so elegantly, like the wings of an angel carried her.

"Don't cry in front of my date," Morgan said softly, as she looked her father in the eyes. Her pink lips twisted into a smirk. She kissed Tony's cheek, and wrapped her arms around him to embrace him in a tight hug. There was a long silence as they just kept holding each other. "I said no crying, Pops," she whispered, feeling his tears on her skin, and giggled quietly.

Tony sniffed and gave a quivery little sigh, then slowly let go. He stared at her, smiling so brightly it looked like the sun was shining through his eyes. He ran his right hand across her forehead and down the side of her face, like he had always done it when she was little, and Morgan closed her eyes, feeling her father's touch as if she were four years old again and craved his comfort.

This was a big step for the both of them. He had always been so soft and gentle with her. He still was. He was the best father she could have ever wished for, even if he drove her crazy sometimes with the way he was just so overprotective. But he was not only Tony Stark, he was Iron Man, and Morgan understood why he felt the need to protect her the way he did. He must have seen so much, been through so much. It was no surprise her father felt so threatened by the world out there.

"I love you 3000," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Be safe."

Morgan smiled into his eyes, felt her heart responding to the warmth she found there. God, she loved him so much! "You know you'll always be my number one man, right?" she told him, grinning sheepishly now.

"Yeah, I know, you knucklehead." Giggling, Tony lightly thumped his fist against her cheek; a feather-like touch he made sure didn't hurt her. "Off you go!"

"When will you be coming home?" Pepper asked, not entirely out of concern. She was eager to spend an entire evening alone with her man.

"Is ten okay?"

"Make it eleven," Tony said, after a quick glance to the side, and noticing the look in Pepper's eyes.

"Are you sure?" Morgan seemed a little confused. How was he so okay with this suddenly?

" _So_ sure," Tony answered, smirking. "You have a good time, kid."

He gave Kingston one last look, but didn't say anything. He had thought about giving him another message and glare at him in a way it was received loud and clear—a nonverbal message that was more effective than any verbal threat he could have issued. But he trusted his daughter. He trusted her judgment, trusted her to not fall for the wrong guy or let anyone do anything to her that she didn't want to. She was strong; she was brave, just like her mother. And if Tony had learned anything from being with Pepper, it was trust. Blind faith.

Morgan eyed both her parents suspiciously. "Do I even wanna know?" she asked, looking at her mother.

Pepper grinned. "We can swap stories when you're back," she quipped, and then laughed when her daughter screwed up her face as though she was disgusted by her own thoughts. Tony immediately joined in the laughter.

"God, you two are _so_ embarrassing!" Morgan complained with a groan, pulling at Kingston's arm as she turned. "C'mon, King, we're going."

"Our princess is dating a king. Life's funny," Tony commented, closing the door, and looked at Pepper.

"You know what else was funny?" Pepper said, "Her face, when that R-rated movie started playing in her mind."

Tony chuckled. "Did you hear what he said?" He grinned. " _You_ have this big tech company. As if I'm not the one who's—"

"That really bothered you, hm?" She grinned like a fool. "That he was a fan of me and not you? That you were just his date's boring father and I was this amazing, successful business woman?"

"Our daughter's date has a crush on you, Pep. How about that?"

"He has a crush on Morgan," she replied. "Have you seen him when she came down the stairs? His eyes were ready to pop out of his sockets." Pepper stepped close and slid her arms around Tony's waist. "It was seriously so adorable. I think he is a really sweet guy."

Tony cupped Pepper's head with his hand, and pulled her to him until her cheek pressed against his chest. He stayed silent for a while, drinking in her warmth. "If I take the suit and hover over the place, she won't even notice I'm there," he thought aloud.

"There will be absolutely no hovering, Tony," Pepper murmured. Closing her eyes, she sighed. "You know, I'm actually a lil' jealous. I never went to a homecoming dance. I didn't even go to prom."

"I know," Tony spoke softly, as he laid his cheek against her head, "You told me that." His arms closed around her in an iron grip and he held her, saying nothing. But he smiled. He smiled the deep kind of silent smile that spoke volumes.

"I'll go make dinner," Pepper said after a moment of silence. She slowly pulled away from the embrace and looked at him. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"What's wrong with my smile?" Tony said, chuckling. "Isn't a man who's happy allowed to smile?"

"I know that smile, Tony. I know _you_." She cupped his face with both hands, kissing him briefly. "If you're still thinking about flying off to spy on our daughter… _don't_."

"Honey, I'm not." He laughed. "This is just a happy, _innocent_ smile." That smile he was talking about turned quickly into a smirk.

"Now you're smirking," Pepper noted. "And I'm supposed to believe you're innocent?" She shook her head amused. "Dinner's at seven. If you're not here then because you're with our kid, you're not getting any desert."

"And the desert is... you?"

"Exactly," she said, grinning. "We've got a child-free zone tonight. I won't let you ruin that for me."

"I wouldn't dare," Tony answered, tugging at the hem of her shirt, with an even bigger smirk on his lips.

She gently slapped his hand away, still grinning at him. "Later, Mr. Stark."

"I can't wait, Ms. Potts."

* * *

Pepper spent about an hour in the kitchen, and when everything was finally set on the dinner table, she called out for Tony. She didn't hear back from him. She didn't hear anything. She went upstairs; she went out on the patio. She looked everywhere in the house. She even looked in the basement, but he was nowhere to be found. When she got to the garage, the workshop, where Tony kept all of his tech stuff, Pepper was ready to tear his head off, but then she noticed a red sticky note tacked to the door.

'Ha-ha, wrong place!'

When she ripped it off, she found another one, in pink: 'Bedroom.'

Pepper wanted to roll her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling at Tony's foolish little game. And so curiosity led her right upstairs into their room where she found a once-in-lifetime kind of dress, elegant and expensive-looking. It was on a clothes hanger, hanging from a nail on the doorframe leading into her walk-in closet. She gasped at the sight of the gown. The petal-pink, silk-crepe dress featured an asymmetrical neckline, with just one sleeve, and a giant organza rosette on the left shoulder.

She was still trying to wrap her head around whatever was going on when her eyes caught sight of another one of Tony's sticky notes on the wall. A white one, reading, 'Put it on. Your ride should be here at seven.'

Pepper didn't understand a thing, but she was already swept away by the romantic scenario that was unfolding right in front of her eyes. To where it would lead, she didn't know, but she would find out soon and she couldn't wait for that moment to come.

So, she got out of the clothes she was wearing and put on the dress that Tony had bought her, maybe even made for her. Smoothing it down, Pepper stared at her reflection in the mirror, and a small tear dribbled its way down the side of her cheek. The dress looked so beautiful. She was entranced in her own image.

"Oh, Tony," she said softly, as if a voice that's too loud could shatter the mirror and destroy what she was seeing—and feeling.

Pepper didn't know for how long she'd been staring at herself, but when she heard the sound of the doorbell, it felt like only a few minutes had passed. She went downstairs, strangely aware of every single step she took. It was like she was in a dream. The dress hugged her curves in just the right places, its soft fabric caressing her skin like a lover as she moved. She felt like there was some kind of magic happening here, like this was just the beginning of something that would completely blow her mind.

Opening the front door, her jaw dropped—her mind was officially blown.

There in front of the house parked a white carriage, drawn by a single Percheron horse. The black stallion with the beautiful mane and the heavily feathered legs usually helped with the plowing and other heavy farm work, but tonight, he had obviously been promoted. The horse had a big bow and a sign that read 'Proof that Tony Stark has a heart' hanging around his neck.

The small figure standing beside the open carriage door watched the surprise and joy bloom in Pepper's face. He kept his hands clasped together behind his back, clutching the black top hat he wore to match his dark khaki pants, bowed, and said, "Your ride's ready for you, Mrs. Stark."

"J–Jamie is that you?" Pepper stepped closer and looked him up and down like a sergeant inspecting the ranks. "I thought you're at the Knicks game with your uncle Rhodey?"

The twelve-year-old straightened his back out of his bow and answered, "Dad said if I do this for him, then I can have the suit for one day. And I can do with it whatever I want."

"Did your father also mention that I would exercise my right of veto?" Pepper raised her eyebrows with a facial expression that was half frown, half smirk.

"Mom, please..." Jamie looked at her with what seemed to be a pleading in his eyes, pleading for her to relent. "I promise I'm not gonna do anything stupid." He flipped the hat onto his head, and then looked back at his mother. "You're such a great mom, and you're doing so much for us every single day, without asking for anything in return. You deserve this night to be special… And I totally would've done this for you, even if I didn't get a reward," he said with a smile. "That dress is so, so pretty… You look really beautiful."

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" She smirked at him.

"Maybe," he replied, smirking back. "Is it working?"

"A little," Pepper admitted, chuckling, as she stared deeply into her son's blue eyes. That boy may have the fiery red hair, and a pretty face peppered with freckles, but there was no doubt about who his father was. He knew exactly which buttons to push if he wanted something from her. It seemed like both her kids did. "You're missing the Knicks game just to give me a ride to… um… Where the hell are we going?"

"Prom," Jamie said, grinning. "I might make it back in time for the last part of the game if you hurry."

"Do you know what your dad's up to?" Pepper asked, getting into the carriage. "When did he plan all this?"

"I don't know," the redheaded boy answered. "Dad just told me about this part." He closed the door and climbed up and snapped the reins. Moments later, they arrived at the large wooden barn. "Here we are," he said, opening the door of the carriage for her. "I gotta go now. Uncle Hap's taking me back to the city."

"Not so fast, bud." Pepper grabbed her son by the arm. He looked at her confused, as if he was thinking he had done something wrong, but she just smiled and wrapped her arms around him. Stroking the back of his head with one hand, she kissed the side of Jamie's face a few times, ignoring the sound of disgust coming from him. "Oh, shut up!" She laughed softly.

Her boy already seemed to be going through that phase where he wanted to be a man. That included pretending not to like being hugged or kissed by his mother. But, at the end of the day, he was just like his father. He melted in her presence, his hard exterior collapsing at the merest touch of hers, and she hoped it would always be that way.

She cupped his cheeks, and touched her forehead to his, whispering a thank you to him. "Have fun tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Love you," he said, smiling.

"Love you, too." She smiled back at him, watched him run off, shouting with glee, and chuckled.

He was such a great kid. A bit more reserved than their girl, but only because he liked to observe. Morgan had to comment on every little thing she saw or heard. She timed her quick-witted comebacks as if she were in a quick-draw shootout and her life depended on it. Her snark was ever-present. Even people who didn't know her that well, but did know Tony, noticed how much she took after her father. And unlike his sister, who usually let her mouth run off without thinking, Jamie used his brain before he spoke. He tried to always be polite, but people were surprised to find out that he was armed with a sharp tongue and a sassy attitude.

There were so many things of herself that she saw in her son. It was like a part of her soul had transcended to him the moment he was born—and to Morgan, too. Her beautiful babies made Pepper feel like she had two separate hearts running around outside of her, and she knew Tony didn't feel any different.

Finally turning around to the surprise that was waiting for her, Pepper gasped in astonishment at the sight she was seeing.

Lining the walkway to the barn, there were candles lit and placed inside brown paper bags. Red rose petals were meticulously mounted on the outside of the door in the shape of a heart. White rose petals littered the ground, the smell of fresh flowers tickling her nose in a wonderful way. The sound of piano music drifted through the half-open door and out across the entrance porch. As the cool evening breeze gently splashed against her tender skin, the sweet tunes surrounded her like a soft warm blanket.

Pepper slipped off her shoes as she walked so she could feel the silky petals under her toes, which sprang gently with each step. Reaching the doorway, she jumped at the string of lights suddenly flickering on around the bottom of the heart, having the shape of a half circle. That's when she saw the little note, saying, 'You make my heart smile,' and a half smile, half smirk came to her face. Tony Stark knew how to turn the everyday into a production.

She pushed the sliding door aside, and walked in, trying to expect just another one of his grand romantic gestures—she wasn't wrong.

The barn was decorated with paper lanterns, each containing a tiny electric bulb. Above the center of the dance floor, a huge mirrored disco ball threw crystal spheres of light down, and all around the room as it turned. Colorful paper streamers twirled below the rafters and giant bouquets of blue, white and pink balloons bumped against the ceiling. Sprinkled glitter and confetti was all over the place, transforming the barn into a dazzling palace of romance.

Nestling in the corner, just under the skylight window that allowed the stars to gleam and the moon to shine through, was a small table with two chairs. The red tablecloth supported two wine glasses, two plates, two knives, two forks, two spoons, two place mats, and two glasses filled with sparkling water. Roses scattered all around the table, and in the middle of it, a candle was burning in a red-colored glass container. When Pepper spotted the long buffet table nearby, she was amazed by the variety of food placed on it. She was amazed by everything she saw.

She gazed at Tony, who had never taken his eyes off her. He sat there playing on his grand piano on the side of the stage, in a black tuxedo, sleeves rolled up, singing Endless Love by Lionel Richie. He sang it with the tenderness of his love for her; warmth radiating from him that made Pepper's heart instantly beat faster. When she approached him, the intensity in his eyes held her captive. She almost didn't notice the large purple banner above the stage that declared 'Pepper's Prom' in white bold letters.

Her face lit up in a little-girl grin, as she stopped in front of the stage. She kept her mouth shut for a long moment, just watching him stare back intently at her. Then she asked, "How the hell did you pull this off without me knowing?"

Tony immediately stopped playing, adjusted his sleeves and jumped off stage, a foolish smirk on his face. "Magic, Pep... It's all magic."

"It really is," she mumbled, as she looked around. "Is that a—?" She obviously hadn't seen _everything_ yet.

"What would prom night be without a photo op?" Tony said, chuckling, as he took her by the hand to the other side of the barn where he had set up a photo booth with props and dumb hats.

"I think I'm gonna cry," Pepper said quietly, staring at the set-up in total disbelief.

"Do that _after_ we took the photos," Tony suggested, kissing her temple. "You don't wanna be crying on your prom pictures, honey."

"Did you do all this for _me_?" She turned to him, eyes already glassy with unshed tears.

"Whom else would I be doing it for?" Tony laughed softly. "You're my one and only Pepper Potts, my now and forever. The only woman I'd wanna go to prom with for the rest of my life." He paused, squeezing her hand. "And, you know, this really is nothing compared to every little thing you've ever done for me since the first time we met."

"It's been quite a long journey, Mr. Stark," Pepper answered with a smile.

"And look where we are now, Ms. Potts." Tony flashed a smile in return. "Or should I say... Mrs. Stark?" he added, his boyish grin beyond charming.

"I do like the sound of that... Mr. Potts," she said, grinning. She curled her hands around Tony's face and kissed him ever so gently and sweetly, murmuring those intoxicating words against his skin.

The feeling of Pepper's lips against his, her body pressed against him, made Tony's blood run hot. His hands escaped to her cheeks, cradling her head, holding it in place, as if he wanted to keep her from breaking the kiss.

He really was Mr. Potts now—Stark-Potts, officially—and it was the best goddamn feeling in the world.

"You know what makes going to prom in your fifties really good?" she mused, and Tony immediately missed the warmth of her lips when she pulled away. "We have a better idea of how to _actually_ have fun."

Tony slowly ran his fingertips over her eyebrow, along her temple, and down her cheek. His thumb brushed Pepper's lips, still moist from their kiss, parting them. Her small gasp sang in his ear and stretched his pants more than a notch. When he looked at her, her dreamy blue eyes captured his. His hand drifted down Pepper's neck, then across her bare shoulder to skim along her arm, causing gooseflesh to rise on it. God, she was so responsive to his touch—and so beautiful. She was just stunningly beautiful. A living, breathing work of art. One, Tony couldn't believe he was lucky to marvel at every single day.

He knew she was probably waiting for him to make a snappy remark, say something naughty, but all he could manage to say was "I'm so happy," and his voice cracked with emotion just uttering those words.

Pepper emitted a soft laugh. "I can see that," she said, her lovely smile reaching her eyes. She really could.

That happiness Tony was talking about, it was all over his face. It radiated off him as if he didn't have a care in the world. He practically glowed. And she rejoiced in seeing her husband so peacefully, healthy and happy. It was all she had ever wanted for him. It made herself feel a happiness she hadn't even known existed. She had never felt anything like this before. And if she thought about their children—these little beings they had created, and their reason to wake up with a smile and a heart full of love each day—the tears in her eyes started dropping to her cheeks as if someone had turned on a faucet.

Pepper noticed Tony's expression change, the different look in his eyes, and how his smile turned into a slight smirk. "I told you I'd cry," she said with a chuckle and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, leaving dark smears of mascara on her cheek. "You still wanna take pictures with me, babe?"

Tony giggled at her words, then gently rubbed the black smudges underneath her eyes away with the pads of his thumbs and smiled. She was always beautiful to him, inside and out, no matter what.

"I already saved a spot for our prom picture on the mantel, right next to all the other milestones of our life together. We are so gonna do this. Tears be damned!"

They took pictures together in the funky photo booth, wearing the silliest hats and striking the most ridiculous poses with all the props. Eventually, they were having a laughing fit that made it hard for the both of them to breathe. Tony was sitting on the wooden bench inside the box while Pepper sat on his lap, one arm draped around his neck. She was locked in his arms, their heads leaning against each other, as they tried to calm down.

Tony was still giggling like a little schoolgirl when she looked at him. He stopped only because she was giving him that kind of look that he had never failed to misread for as long as they were together.

"I like the way you think," he noted, seeing that her hand was already on his chest, as she slowly began unbuttoning his tux jacket.

"These photos do not go on the mantel, Tony," she insisted.

"Mm-hmm," he made more of a sound than a word.

Tony's eyes flared with heat but instead of tearing the fabric from Pepper in one swift move, he swept her hair off her neck and tugged the zipper, slowly—so slowly—running it down to the small of her back. He leaned to kiss the side of Pepper's neck, and then slid the bodice of her dress off over her shoulders, moving as gently as he could. His strong hands stroked her muscles, cherishing every inch of the skin he'd just bared.

Pepper shifted her torso so that the dress slithered all the way down to her waist. Tony's hands immediately slid around to cup her breasts, and he groaned against the curve of her neck. Arching her head against his shoulder, Pepper sucked in a sharp breath, his touch sending a flood of moisture to her center. She closed her eyes, swamped with sensation, and tilted her head so that their mouths could meet in a heated kiss.

Sitting sideways across his lap, she turned in Tony's arms, her hands seeking out the warm muscles of his arms, her fingers curling into the fabric of his tuxedo. She pushed the jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor, then ripped Tony's shirt completely open. Buttons rained down around the booth.

Laughing, he playfully complained, "Hey, I'm still supposed to be wearing that."

Pepper glared at his bare chest and ravenously inspected every muscle and curve, feasting on him. He may not be as buff anymore as he used to be when she first laid eyes on his body, but God, he was still hot. It was almost like his sex appeal, his attractiveness, had increased with old age. It definitely had. He was so damn sexy! She considered herself very lucky that she got to have this hunk for a husband. Their sex life was incredible. No doubt, married sex was even better—they'd had years of that now, and that feeling never changed.

"Knock, knock." Tony gently tapped against her forehead with his finger. "Anyone home?" He flicked a strand of hair away from her face and smirked. She smirked back at him.

"Sorry, I was just..."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Pep. This is prom night, and we're teenagers. Horny teenagers. And I'd be surprised if my body _didn't_ have that effect on you."

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I can feel it, you know," she said, amusement in her voice. "So don't act like I'm the only with a... _reaction_."

Tony cackled, then looked at her with a wide grin. "You're gonna do something about it?"

"No," she told him, smirking harder. "This will just be nude photography. We're not shooting porn."

"But we totally should," Tony argued, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Not tonight," Pepper responded, and couldn't help the hearty laugh that tore from deep within her.

"So... am I allowed... to do this then?" he asked, dropping his head to her chest to take first one peak, and then the other, into his mouth.

Pepper gave a whimpering gasp when he captured her nipple in between his lips and sucked.

"Is that a yes?" Tony murmured against her skin, his breath so hot, Pepper thought it would burn her flesh.

"Yes," she moaned loudly, his touch sending her nerves and brain into overdrive. Husky laughter vibrated against her chest.

Tony activated the camera, shifting around so that her upper body was in full view. He laved her cleavage with his tongue, drew her nipples between his lips and sucked on the turgid buds until she was half-crazy from the pleasure of it. Groaning Pepper's name, he rubbed his groin against her, wishing the contact could be skin to skin.

She dug her fingernails frantically into his biceps and let out a cry-gasp. His exquisite tongue was doing such wild and wonderful things to her, so tantalizing, it felt like she could come right then, without any further preliminaries. Between her legs, slick moisture dampened her panties—what a way to ruin a perfectly good dress.

"Tony," she whimpered. "Stop!" But he didn't stop.

His left hand massaged the flesh around the nipple in his mouth while his right hand pinched and tweaked the other. He teased her with his teeth, stopping just on the cusp of hurting, then swirled his tongue over and around the areola in a torturous manner. Tony growled deep in his throat and ran one hand down below the small of Pepper's back to her tailbone, trying to reach inside her dress to cup her ass.

His behavior caused Pepper to act hastily, filled her with the desire to press her body harder against him. Being held in sidesaddle fashion across his lap, and with a dress that certainly wasn't made for a quickie, this proved to be a real challenge. And then, just when she seemed to have figured out a way to make it work, with a little help from Tony, the bench they were sitting on splintered and cracked under their weight, and the rush of movement.

Tony groaned with pain as his back hit the ground hard, his wife landing on top of him. Rubbing the back of his head, he began laughing, and he laughed and laughed until he was out of breath. Then he started to laugh again. Pepper laughed too, first snorted giggles then uproarious laughter, and the two of them continued laughing until they could laugh no more.

"You're okay, hon? You hurt?" He looked at her, and she turned to him.

"No, I'm fine," she answered. "How about you?"

"I'm alright."

Giggling, Pepper tucked her head under his chin. With her fingernail, she traced a pattern over his chest, and closed her eyes. Tony stroked his hand over her back, his strong arms wrapping over her, pulling her close only a moment later. She hugged him tightly, loving the feeling of their bare chests making contact.

"We're some dumbass horny teenagers," she mumbled, making him laugh again.

For a few minutes, the two of them stayed on the floor, saying nothing. In the silence between them, Tony was again made conscious of how much he loved these quiet moments with her. Just lying there with his love, lazy as two cats, and feeling her heart beat against his chest, filled him with contentment and peace. Life could not have been more perfect or exquisite.

Hearing her stomach growl, he chuckled softly. "You're hungry?"

"Yeah," she spoke quietly, lifting her chin to see his face.

"You wanna take a look at the photos first?"

"I'm sure they're all blurry," Pepper joked. "I just wanna eat."

"I got all of your favorite things."

"I noticed," she said, smiling. "You know, after tonight, I think you might make husband of the year."

"I might?" He raised an eyebrow at her, pouting. "What are you talking about? There's no better hubby than me, Potts. Period. I'm husband of the century."

She got up from the ground, never taking her eyes off of him. "Oh, I'm sure you are."

"Are you making fun of me again?" Tony grinned, as he grabbed the tux jacket and stood up, slipping it over his ripped shirt.

"I wouldn't dare," she said, grinning. "Now, will you please help me with the dress… husband of the century?"

He shook his head, amused, and stepped closer. "I can't believe I married you, you little meanie."

"Well, you better believe it, Tony, because this right here," she lifted his hand to his face to show off the shiny rock on his finger, "is proof of that, and, I'm sorry, but now you're stuck with me forever."

"Are you really?" He grinned. "Sorry?"

Pride and joy glinted in Pepper's smile. She brushed her lips tenderly across his wedding band, closing her eyes. Her mouth lingered on the sacred object for a few seconds, as she savored the sheer existence of it. Then she leaned in to kiss him, to the depths of his soul, and it was all the answer Tony needed.

As they sat down to have dinner, Tony called Dum-E to serve them. The bot was perfectly dressed up as a waiter. It made Pepper laugh. She still couldn't believe this was actually happening. How in God's name had he managed to pull this off in, like, a week? Because it was only a few days ago that she had told him about her prom debacle. While Tony's surprises were known to be over the top, this one was the perfect amount of 'just right.' She would remember this night forever.

"This was delicious, Tony," she said, rubbing her stomach after about an hour of stuffing food into her mouth. "I think I can't eat anything for the next two days."

He chuckled.

She laid her hand on top of his and repeatedly stroked the back of it with her thumb. "Thank you," she told him, smiling.

He smiled back at her, and guided both their hands to his mouth. He kissed the back of her hand five times—yes, Pepper counted—and she sighed contentedly, closing her eyes to the warm and fuzzy feeling of love surrounding her entirely. Tony's tender smile grew wider as he admired the glow in her cheeks and the soft expression around her mouth. He waited, just a little while, eyes taking in her beauty, then he got up from the chair, still holding Pepper's hand, and walked over to her.

Clearing his throat before he spoke, he asked, "Pepper Potts, would you do me the honor of this dance?" Right on cue, the music started playing.

She peered up at him, and there was a big, sweet smile on her lips. In fact, Pepper hadn't stopped smiling this whole time. "I would be delighted," she answered.

He led her out onto the dance floor and held her in an intimately tight embrace. Pepper curled her arms around Tony's neck and rested her cheek on his shoulder. He sighed, as she nestled against him, and closed his eyes, enjoying the smell of her hair, with his cheek pressed against the top of her head. This feeling was so familiar to him, but he was never going to get used to it. His body flamed from just the merest touch of her. He needed nothing more than her in his arms.

Wrapped up in their own world, they gracefully moved as one across the shiny hardwood, the tenderness of their embrace melted into a bond of pure love that nothing could break. For a solid ten minutes, neither of them made the smallest sound. The silence between them was so heavy that they could hear their individual breathing despite the slow music blasting from the sound system. It was a comfortable silence, though. The most comfortable silence they knew. The disco ball above them spun, shooting rays of rainbow lights and magic onto the dance floor, slowing time.

"You know what I'm thinking of?" Tony whispered against her hair and planted a soft kiss on top of her head. "Our wedding night." His voice was so soft it seemed like a subtle touch, like the touch of a cat's paw, a feeling rather than a sound.

When their gazes met, he perceived a depth in Pepper's eyes he'd never noticed before, and found himself drawing nearer by the millimeter. It was like something in her eyes was pulling him towards her. He leaned closer, just an inch. She leaned an inch closer, too, their lips nearly touching. He felt her breath over his mouth. Her sweet fragrance drifted over him, his body tingling with anticipation. He closed his eyes, and then, there it was, the warmth of her lips touching his.

He slid his hands from Pepper's waist, settling one to the middle of her back and the other to the side of her face. She wrapped the silky strands of Tony's hair around her fingers, pulling his head even closer. The sensation bubbled in her fibers. She felt like she couldn't get close enough to him as he devoured her mouth with his. He kissed her with a long, passionate but slow kiss. Time seemed to almost stand still. It were many pure, full minutes of swaying together to the soft, romantic tunes, as they kissed, their bodies held together tight as skin. They didn't hear or notice the intruders.

"Ew, you guys are like teenagers," Morgan screwed up her face.

"Get a room." Her brother giggled with amusement.

Tony and Pepper pulled away gently and looked at each other.

"Do you hear what I'm hearing?" Tony said, smirking.

"Sounds like our kids are here," Pepper replied, smirking back.

"Which would be weird, 'cause they're supposed to be somewhere else." Tony laughed softly as he cupped her face, kissing her one more time. Then he looked over Pepper's shoulder, eyeing their offspring. "What are you doing here, huh? Crashing our prom. Don't you two have dates?"

"Surprise!" Morgan cheered and threw her arms up into the air, laughing.

"Surprise!" Jamie shouted, joining his sister's laughter.

Pepper turned to face them. "Did something happen?"

"No, mom. Everything's fine. Jamie and I had a great night, but now we wanted to be with you guys."

"I'm sorry, just to get this right..." Tony took Pepper by the hand and dragged her along, as he approached their kids. "You dumped your date, so you could be with your dad?"

"That's not what she said, Tony," Pepper said with a chuckle.

"That's _so_ not what she said," Jamie concurred, grinning at him.

"Shush!" Tony silenced them, waving his hands around, and looked back at his daughter. "So, what happened? Did the king turn into a frog?"

Morgan just stood there, with a big smirk across her face, as she listened to her father's words, watching him closely, and his smugness wavered for a moment. She was pleased to see that happen. Pepper was, too, and she grinned.

She loved moments like these, where her husband was facing the harsh reality of having a daughter who was practically his mini-me. Same mannerisms, same attitude, same poise—overconfidence. They even shared the same pet peeves. And they had the same, teasing look in their eyes when they were trying to provoke a reaction from someone. These two were undeniably the perfect match.

"What? Tell me!" Tony's voice was now a bit louder, and a little more demanding.

"My dearest father..." Morgan paused, and the smugness in the corner of her mouth evolved into a self-satisfied grin. "I'm not gonna tell you anything about what happened with King."

Tony's change of expression was nearly comical.

"So, you two had fun?" Pepper asked half smiling, half smirking, and Tony looked at her with terror radiating from his eyes. She glanced to the side. "I'm sure they didn't have _that_ much fun, honey," she quipped, laughing.

"Maybe a little bit," Jamie mused.

"Oh God!" Groaning, Tony covered his face with both hands. "I'm living a nightmare!"

"Will you stop being such a drama queen?" Morgan chuckled, and pulled Tony's hands away from his face, holding them, as she looked into his eyes. "This place looks amazing. And Mom..." She stared at her mother, smiling. "She looks so beautiful!" Looking back at her father, she smiled even more. "You're living the best life ever, dad, and you know I'm right."

Tony attempted to pout, wanting to act sulky, but a joy settled over him, like a bright and stunning light, and it was impossible to fight it. So he smiled a big grin and pulled his daughter into his arms to hug her tight. Morgan squeaked, startled by his reaction, and then relaxed into his embrace, sighing.

Pepper watched her oldest enjoying Tony's soft and warm hugs the same way she had. Seeing her husband and daughter together, and her son standing next to her, brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't keep the happiness from seeping through, and she didn't try. She had all she needed in life right here, right now; in this beautiful place they had made their home. When she was with her family, the world didn't matter. Nothing ever did.

"Come here, bubba," Pepper said to her son, pulling him into a hug. She placed her chin upon the top of his head and closed her eyes, an immediate smile forming on her lips the second she felt Jamie wrap his arms tightly around her.

"Are you really not gonna tell me about your date tonight?" Tony whispered, kissing Morgan's hair, and she pulled away and looked at him.

"Of course I will," she said, smiling. "But right now, I just wanna dance with my father."

"That can be arranged," he replied softly. Tony's smile started behind his ears and traveled to his lips. He cupped Morgan's cheeks and kissed her forehead. "I'm happy you're here."

"Me too," she answered.

"Me three," Pepper added. "Even though, now that you are, it seems my prom date has forgotten all about me."

Tony cackled. "I have not, my love." He smirked. "But the kids need to go to bed early, and we have all night to dance, and to make out and—"

"Please don't say it," Morgan cut in.

"And..." Tony stared at his child with a raised brow, deliberately waiting to continue. He loved dragging it out for her. "Enjoy ourselves."

Morgan blew out a breath.

"Is it _that_ bad to think of your parents having s-e-x?"

"Why are you spelling it out now?" Pepper chuckled.

"Because our son's right there, and he's only twelve—"

"Yeah, but I know how to spell sex, dad. And I know what it is. You even—"

"Zip it!" Tony waved his hand in front of the boy's face. Of course that kid knew a lot about sex already. He was his son after all. Tony had even given him one of those sexy magazines—a neat one, not too dirty. That didn't mean he wanted Pepper to know about it, though. Pepper. Oh God! He knew that look she was giving him. It meant he was going to be interrogated. Grilled.

"Ugh," Morgan grunted and turned her face away from them, with a bit of an eye roll. She could barely keep that gross images of her parents in bed together from flooding her mind. When she spotted the booth in the corner, her eyes widened, as a rush of excitement shot through her body. "Oh my God, you got a photo booth? Did you guys take pictures?" She bolted toward it, turning around to wave at her brother. "Come on, James, let's look at mom and dad's photos!"

"No!" Pepper and Tony yelled in unison at their children.

"Why not?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Morgan wondered.

"Because..." Tony glanced at Pepper for some sort of explanation; she looked back at him, obviously struggling to find one, while Morgan was already skipping through the stack of photo booth strips.

'Do something,' Pepper mouthed, but Tony just shrugged his shoulders. She wasn't sure if he did that because he didn't know what to do or because he didn't get what she was saying.

"Aw, these are great," Morgan said, showing them to her brother. "Look!"

"Would you please hand me those photos, Maguna?" Tony entreated, smiling through gritted teeth.

"Why, though?"

"Please don't make me beg."

"I thought you didn't like to be handed things?"

His daughter eyed him confrontationally, one corner of her mouth tilted up in a grin. But that smirk faded away instantly as Morgan looked back at the pictures in her hands. The whole batch of images slipped through her fingers and the photographs fluttered to the floor.

"Hey, I didn't see," Jamie complained, bending down to collect the photo strips and look at them, but Pepper had anticipated his move. She was so swift to react that the boy nearly jumped out of his skin.

Holding the photos in her hands, she grinned at her daughter, who seemed speechless with horror. "I'm sorry, baby. We got a little, um..."

"Carried away," Tony finished Pepper's sentence. "It's what happens when you're—"

"Horny?" Morgan cocked an eyebrow at them.

"In love," he countered, chuckling.

"Maybe you should try digital next time, so your sexy snaps don't fall into the wrong hands," she teased. She tried to hide her smirk and failed pathetically.

"Thanks for the great advice, smarty pants," Pepper said, smirking back at her.

"Are you gonna use these for this year's family Christmas card?"

Really the best way to deal with her parents' indiscretion was humor, Morgan thought, because they were never going to change. They were still so sickeningly in love, and big on public displays of affection, and there would certainly be more incidents like this one in the future. She was just exceptionally glad she hadn't walked in on them and actually saw them do _it_. If that ever happened to her, she would be scarred for life. Although, now that she was thinking about it, how sure could she even be that it hadn't already happened when she was younger? What a disgusting thought!

"We haven't decided yet," Tony replied with a big grin, his mind going, 'That's my girl!'

He was so proud. Proud of her, proud of her brother. He was beaming with parental pride, and no one would, or could, ever understand. Maybe Pepper. She certainly did, if the look in her eyes was any indication of that. Their kids were the two greatest things in their lives. The way they made them smile, cry, laugh; the way they made them feel _,_ and had changed how _they_ felt about each other—he had never loved Pepper more than he did now—was overwhelming. Nothing could ever compare to that. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of being a dad, of being a father to Pepper Potts' babies.

"Um, we could do one right now? I mean, we're all here...?" Jamie mentioned, feeling a little left out of the conversation the grown-ups were having.

"And we all look pretty fly," Morgan added.

"You wanna take a picture for our Christmas card?" Pepper ran a hand through the boy's hair. He nodded.

"I'm in," Tony said, excitedly.

"I have but one condition." Pepper and Tony looked at their daughter expectantly. "You keep your clothes on this time," she demanded, and the whole family immediately burst into a paroxysm of laughter.

Morgan couldn't bite back the snide comment that was hanging on the tip of her tongue when she saw the mess her parents had made, the splinter of wood on the floor. But they laughed it off, too. And they continued to laugh, while they were jammed together inside the photo booth, cracking jokes and teasing each other. They couldn't stop. Each roar of laughter was followed by another and another. Holding their sides, hardly able to breathe, they laughed until they were in tears. Minutes later, out of sheer desperation, they found themselves slowing down, gasping for air between laughs. They always had a lot of fun as family, but they hadn't laughed like that in a very long time.

The young boy was still trying to catch his breath, when he came out of the photo booth.

"You good, buddy?" Tony asked, grinning.

All bent over with stomach cramps, Jamie wiped tears from his eyes. His adorable giggle—the same one he'd always had—reminded Tony of the time when his son was still a baby and they were playing Peekaboo. His heart did a funny thump. Oh, the memories—they filled him with so much joy. That beautiful boy right there was the same pooping ball of protoplasm he had pulled out of his wife's vagina with his own two hands during home birth, except he was pretty grown up now. He almost looked like a man. A tiny man, but still a man.

Finally breathing steady, Jamie nodded his head. "I'm okay."

Tony ruffled his hair, and he giggled. It was exactly the kind of cute giggle that Tony had wanted to hear from him one more time. Could you actually be addicted to your kids' laughter?

"I love you, son," he spoke quietly, smiling at him with glassy eyes, as he stroked his head. "So much."

Morgan nudged her father with the elbow. "May I dance with my old man now?"

"Um, excuse me, Ms. Stark, but I believe your brother and I are having a moment here."

"Technically, you _were_ having a moment and I just ruined it... Mr. _Potts_."

"And who are you calling _old_?"

Pepper had to laugh at the exchange of words between her husband and daughter. She looked at her son, smiling happily, as she took his hand and said, "Dance with me, hijo."

"Come on..." Morgan pulled Tony gently by the arm. "I've been waiting all night for this."

"All night?" He followed her to the dance floor. "Wow, your date must've really suck," he joked.

Morgan laughed lightly. She knew he knew exactly what she'd meant by that, and so she refused to comment and kept quiet. Her arm was wrapped tightly around her father's neck, her right hand folded neatly inside Tony's own sure grasp, as they silently circled the room. Snuggling her face comfortably into his chest, she closed her eyes. She felt the weight of his chin on her head and his warm breath on her skin as he sighed. He kissed her hair; she smiled. This was what happiness felt like.

"I'm so glad you met my mom," she let out, and Tony chuckled.

"So am I, kid... So am I." Tony cradled Morgan's head, careful not to ruin her hair. He gazed at Pepper, who was still dancing with their son. She snuggled the boy close to her chest, the same way Tony held their daughter. When Pepper looked at him, he showed her one of his most beautiful smiles. She smiled back, her smile even more beautiful than his. "I love you more than I could ever say, Morgan... All of you," Tony said softly, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"More than 3000?" Morgan asked, as she tilted her head to look at him, a cocky grin raising the corners of her lips.

"To infinity," he answered, grinning back.

"Wow, that's crazy," she mocked him playfully. "Are you sure?"

He flicked a finger against Morgan's cheek, his grin growing. "Dead sure."

"Well, _I_ love you to infinity and _beyond_ ," Pepper declared, as she came up to them. "I mean, not that's a competition, right, honey?" She shot Tony a toothy, triumphant grin, as though she had been waiting for this very moment.

Tony smirked, trying to think of something to say back to her—that took a lot longer than he'd expected. He let go of his daughter, stepped in front of Pepper and stared her down.

"What?"

"As someone who's been living in a fairytale tonight, you should consider being a little nicer to the man who made it all happen," he argued, still smirking.

"Oh, you mean _you_?" One of her eyebrows arched in smug challenge.

"If you don't want this to be a one-time thing..."

"Is that a threat?"

"Just a polite warning."

They stared long and hard into each other's eyes. The corners of their straight lips seemed to quiver away into a smile, making it all too obvious that they both were desperately trying not to laugh. Even their eyes were dancing with irrepressible glee. The harder they tried to hold back the more tickled they got until they broke out giggling.

"Can you believe these two kids are, like, 60 years old," Morgan said to her brother, rolling her eyes a little. He responded with a chuckle.

"Hey!" Tony and Pepper called out with one voice.

She laughed at them, shaking her head amused, and moved closer. She halted, simply watching them with a grin.

"What?" Tony wondered, but Morgan still didn't say or do anything.

Instead she waited. She waited until it looked like the anticipation was going to kill both her parents. And then, in a move so sudden it took them by surprise, Morgan reached out to pinch their cheeks.

"Why you gotta be so cute!" she almost squealed. It made Jamie laugh.

Stunned, Pepper and Tony simultaneously smoothed their palms over the marks their daughter had left from pinching their cheeks so hard. Pepper opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, but there were still no words coming out of it, just a small breath.

Tony glanced over at their son, who was still laughing—all the more, as he saw the look on his father's face.

A giggle bubbled in her throat, as Morgan apologized. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself." She threw her arms around her parents and pulled them into a close hug. "You really are adorable." She kissed her mother's cheek, then her father's, as if to soothe their pain. "And disgusting. Like, totally gross." She laughed softly. "But that's okay. Because if you are _that_ terribly in love, even after all this time, it means our family will be together forever and that's—"

"Super awesome!" Jamie shouted and ran over to them, settling himself right in the middle of that family hug. He was welcomed with open arms, and quite a few giggles.

"We love you both so much," Pepper whispered, kissing the top of her son's head a few times before touching her lips to her daughter's hair.

Her arms were around Tony's back, and his around hers, so their children were safely locked between them. When he saw her look at him, he smiled, and he smiled so beautifully, and with so much emotion in his eyes, that Pepper could barely keep herself from crying. She did cry, eventually—a small tear—when Tony leaned in to kiss her, long and deeply, and for the first time that night since their kids had showed up, there was not a single sound of disgust. There was just the soft sound of their lips touching, over and over again.

If this was their forever, it was a pretty great one.


End file.
